


Couples Counseling Chronicles

by RogueDevlin



Category: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, Family Fluff, Fill-in-the-canon-gaps (with a lot of NanoFate), Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, NanoFate - Freeform, Romantic Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueDevlin/pseuds/RogueDevlin
Summary: Due to some undisclosed (absurd!) reasons, Nanoha and Fate will attend a couples therapy conducted by Hayate.Note: this work is permanently ongoing but each chapter has its own complete mini-story arc and can be read in any order...except for the first one which serves as introduction.
Relationships: Fate Testarossa Harlaown/Takamachi Nanoha
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	1. Prologue + First Session

If you are anything like me at all, it’s very likely you have a job that consumes most of your time. Or maybe you have to go to school. When I was a student, I had to juggle between homework and actual work. Total madness, I can assure you. I guess that somehow trained me to the madness that would continue now, in my bureaucratic-government type of life I lead now. And please, don’t get me wrong, I do love my job but that doesn’t stop me from remembering there is a world, in fact many worlds, out there.

So, what do you do when you are not dedicating hour after hour to your never-ending job? I’m sure you have your “special thing” to which you dedicate part of whatever free time you have left. There’s people who love to cook, others love to paint or write or practice some extreme sports. You see, the options are pretty much unlimited, but there’s some of us who just love to go from one project to another just to keep our sanity at bay. Speaking about sanity, I should probably tell you that I’ve been attending some lectures on psychology and psychotherapy and I’ve decided to use all my recently acquired knowledge to set up a blog. It’s not really that much knowledge I acquired, I’m certainly not an expert on that topic, but that’s beside the point. I don’t know a thing about blogging either. The thing is, this is my new project. I have my mind set on it. Of course, to write a blog one must have a topic, and after quite a brainstorming session, I finally pinpointed my topic.

I have decided that my new project will turn around my long-time best friends. You might have heard of them, the notoriously famous Tactical Flight & Aerial Combat Instructor, Nanoha Takamachi and renowned Navy Enforcer, Fate T. Harlaown. You might wonder what my intentions are with them. Well, let me enlighten you. My idea is to have them participate in regular sessions for couples therapy, not that I think they need it, of course, least of all conducted by me, but that’s not going to stop me anyway.

I don’t know how I’m going to be able to have them participate from their own free will on this. I know how Fate keeps to herself almost everything that has to do with her, and don’t get started on her relationship with Nanoha because then she’s even worse. I will have to find a way to have Nanoha participate so Fate will have no other choice than to participate as well. I do know how my beloved friends work after all this years friendship, it’d be a shame if I didn’t.

Blackmail them? No, it wouldn’t be my style.

I could make a bet with Nanoha. I do not understand why that girl is so keen on bets, but if I do I must make sure it has to be one I’m bound to win. I must offer her a very tempting reward, otherwise she won’t agree on telling me all her stories. Although I do think that with the idea of a bet, I’ll already have her halfway there. We could go to those popular places where people gamble, but on second thought, I’d rather not. What do I do if she stays hooked? Fate would have my skin in a second or how would I tell Vivio that her mother become a compulsive gambler because of me? No Hayate, forget about taking Nanoha to such places. Nothing good can come out of that even if at first it seems funny.

So, getting back to our topic... oh yes, our lead couple. They really have an interesting story. I don’t mean to spoil all the fun beforehand, but I can tell you a little about them. Just a little bit, because the purpose of this is to have them tell their own stories. The truth is that, up to this day I see them as one of the most stable couples I have ever met, which is hilarious if you consider the fact that the first time they met they were ready to kill each other, literally. And then, an unbreakable bond was what followed up to that ferocious introduction.

It would seem that Nanoha resorts to befriending with pure raw brute force. It’s ironic, since she’s the warmest sweetest person ever. Her method is certainly unorthodox, but so far, it’s been effective, there’s no doubt about that.

So, the idea is to do this properly. First of all I have to determine the interview zone, I mean, the counseling office. Well my office will have to suit for that. It gives the proper formal tone required. The office is almost always empty on Friday afternoons since we only have a half-day schedule, so I don’t have to worry about us being interrupted. It’s just on rare occasions when I have to work on something on Friday afternoons. I’ve also noticed that Fate recently has managed to adjust her schedule to come back home always on Friday, since she spends most of her time out of planet. Yeah, Friday’s should probably work out. Place? Check. Date? Check. Well almost positive about that. 

Now, the next step is to get my guinea pig - mind me, my guinea friend, Nanoha. If I’m not very much mistaken she must be right now at home preparing dinner for Vivio. She’s such a home person. Let’s see if my theory is correct. I’ll activate the screen-com.

“Nanoha, hi!”

“Hayate-chan! What a surprise!”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing much. I was about to cook dinner for Vivio.”

I do know my people. There’s no doubt about that,

“What do you say to me taking you both to dinner?”

“Now?”

“Sure, nothing too fancy. We can go to one of those fast-food places where we’ll enjoy pseudo food and Vivio will have a little toy with her meal.”

“We are going to McDonald’s?” Vivio appeared on the screen, her bi-colored eyes shining with delight.

“Hayate! You know I don’t like Vivio eating junk food from those kinds of places.”

“Oh come on, Nanoha. Besides, Fate always takes Vivio when you are not around.”

“Say, what?!”

Oops, my bad. I probably shouldn’t have said that. Now they are ignoring me and both Takamachi girls are arguing with each other.

“Hey, girls? I’m still here, hello?”

Nanoha must have activated the muting for the communicator because I can’t hear a thing. I can only see them moving. Nanoha waves her arms, and Vivio laughs. Nanoha is out of the screen now. Oh, here they are again.

“Okay Hayate. At what time do you want us to meet?”

Nanoha agreed with a very-proud-of-herself smiling Vivio.

“I’m off to pick you two right this moment”

* * *

“Oh come on, Fate-chan, it’s not that bad.”

“Mou, Nanoha, you could, at least, have talked to me first.”

“Ne, Fate-chan. I didn’t think I was going to lose, besides this thing with Hayate sounds like fun.”

“First of all you never actually think you can lose. And second, fun? Geez Nanoha, sometimes I’m worried about your concept of ‘fun’.”

“Now it turns out you don’t have fun with me.”

“I never said that.”

“Well Fate-chan if the first session turns out to be beyond all bearing to you...”

Nanoha left her phrase mid-air and completed it by very suggestively biting her bottom lip in such a way that had Fate flustering in no time.

Wow, Nanoha, you are a box full of surprises. Who would have thought you actually blackmailed Fate in such ways. But you see now? That’s the kind of interaction I’ve been talking about. Now I can enjoy myself observing and documenting them. They have an outstanding ability to neglect the world around them when they are like this. Here I am, having both of them arguing with each other and it’s as if I wasn’t even here at all. I’m pretty sure I could stand on my head and dance the can-can half-naked and these two would never notice.

It probably would be much wiser to remind them I’m here with more conventional ways.

“Ehem, ehem. What do you say if we start already?” They both looked at me as if I had not been sitting behind my desk all the time and I had just magically appeared there. “First of all I want to thank you both for participating.”

“I didn’t have much choice,” Fate protested.

“Now, easy Fate, Nanoha already made it clear that she’ll make it up for you, so be nice.”

The blush in my blonde friend’s cheek appeared almost by command.

“Let’s start then the first session for my Couples Counseling Chronicles for Pocket Aces.”

“What do you mean by couples counseling?” Fate was again interrupting me and Nanoha just laughed out loud. “We do not need counseling.”

“It’s the name I chose for it. Sounds good.”

“It makes no sense,” my blond friend replied.

“Let’s start with the basics. Please state your name and age.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you know perfectly how old we are.”

Fate seems to be feisty today.

“I need to follow the procedure.”

“Takamachi Nanoha and Fate Testarossa Harlaown. We are both twenty four years old,” Nanoha answered slightly elbowing Fate so she would settle down.

“Right. And how long have you two been together?”

At this moment, things started to get interesting. Fate immediately answered fifteen years, while Nanoha answered at the same moment, but said ten years. They looked at each other and then back to me.

“That’s alright. We’ll get into that later. The general idea is for us to have weekly sessions where we will cover some topic and you’ll tell me something about your lives that has to do with said topic.”

“What kind of topics?”

“The newsworthy ones, of course. Sex.”

I could see Fate’s temper rising again.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Fine. Not for a start, though,” I answered trying to muffle a burst of laughter. Now I understand why Vita enjoys teasing her so much. I have no idea how I missed this unparalleled source of unlimited fun. “We’ll talk about the real topics covered in actual couples counseling therapy. Jealousy arguments, break-ups, how you raise Vivio, how it affects you both having Fate working out so much. That kind of stuff. The truth is I’ve seen you all these years, and despite your youth, you have been together for so long and have made your relationship work. So it’s like Inverse Couples Counseling, if you get my drift. Do you like the idea?”

“It doesn’t sound half-bad at all,” Fate finally accepted. “Wait a second Hayate. Who is going to know about this?”

That brain of hers never stops picking around stuff. No wonder she’s such a good Enforcer, but she’s ruining my project!

“Don’t worry about that. I won’t disclose your stories raw like that. I’ll basically use them as inspiration and to draw conclusions from them. Your privacy is guaranteed.”

“So what are we going to start with?” Nanoha asked, sounding really interested.

“Your bed stories are a no-go, then?”

I didn’t know Fate could actually growl.

“I can tell you a bed story, if that’s what you want.”

“Nanoha!”

“Come on, Fate-chan. Trust me. Let me remember when this happened. Yes, of course, we had been at Riot Force 6 for one...or two months tops.”

* * *

“Are you staying up much longer?”

Nanoha kept checking out the training videos, and Fate was already comfortably enjoying their bed under the sheets.

“I just want to...”

Nanoha didn’t complete her sentence. Something on the video had gotten her full attention.

Fate waited a few seconds more to see if Nanoha would actually finish her phrase. There was no answer. She was deep on her thoughts again. Fate fluffed her pillow, and moved around until she finally settled and closed her eyes.

Forty minutes later, Nanoha was still taking notes. She felt her neck a little stiff and when she took a moment to stretch her arms, she realized how late it was. She decided to wrap up for today.

Carefully she got into bed, and hugged herself to the blonde’s back.

“Hmm, you are a hopeless workaholic...” Fate told her with a more sleepy than awake voice.

“Do you want to know what else I’m addicted to?” she asked, rubbing the tip of her nose against Fate’s neck just by the hairline of that golden hair of hers.

“Mou, your nose is freezing cold,” Fate answered with a low giggle.

“It’s not the only thing.” And to prove her point, she flexed her knees and touched her lover’s calves with her feet.

Fate reacted at the touch and rolled over to get face to face with her.

“You. Mischievous!” Grabbing her by the ribs she started tickling her all over. The first ones over the clothes, the next ones, skillfully under the clothes .

“No, no! Wait, stop!” Nanoha whimpered in between laughs as they both rolled on their bed. One trying to escape, the other determined not to let the other escape.

“Oh no. Now you will pay the consequences, Instructor.”

* * *

“That’s a bed story?” I asked, pretty frustrated.

“Well, it had me and Fate. In bed. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

It seems she’s getting back at me for picking on Fate. I guess I had it coming. Her snicker confirms my thoughts.

“Very funny Nanoha-chan. I don’t think the story ended there, though.”

“It does, as far as you and this session are concerned,”

Defeated on my own game, but for the first session it wasn’t that bad at all. I think I have their cooperation. I know I’ve always had it, but maybe I pushed the limits a bit when I asked them to participate. I am naughty. Yeah, I know. But I do know they will enjoy this as well. It’s always funny to remember past stories. 

I bid farewell to my friends and we agree to meet here, next week.

You must be wondering how I persuaded Nanoha in the first place... well, that’s something the world probably will never know, since, you know, the best mages out there never reveal their secrets.


	2. Second Session

Fate was picking up the stuff from her locker. Due to the end of year, the school’s hallways were practically deserted, of people certainly, but not of garbage. The carelessness of boys and girls equally was visible. Broken pencils, wide-open notebooks with shoe prints on them and torn pages and even some forgotten sweaters decorated the floor. You could even say that the level of mess was directly proportional to their enthusiasm for the end of the school year.

Fate sighed feeling a little dejected. She didn’t know why she felt most of her classmates were too immature for her. Truth be told, deep down she knew. She had had to grow up faster than many of the other kids her age, since still being very young, she had lived experiences she wouldn’t wish for anyone. She also had a lot of duties and responsibilities as active personnel of the TSAB. All of these clearly explained why she had a different perspective of the world than most teenagers.

At the other side of the hallway, Nanoha caught sight of her. She hadn’t expected to see her now, but before she even realized, her feet were already moving towards Fate’s direction.

“H-Hi...Fate-chan.”

The blonde turned around to see her, a little startled as her thoughts had been interrupted. A sweet smile drew in her lips as she greeted her.

“I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“I had to return ahead of time. Since the school-year is coming to an end, I had some issues to deal with some of the professors. I’m way behind in a lot of homework and papers since this time I was away for too long. Most of the teachers are unhappy with this situation and I have to take a lot of tests. I think I will have more than the ones I can handle in one day.”

“Oh, yes. I have your notes here. Do you need help with anything else?”

“I think I’ve got it covered. Thanks anyway.”

“You know... on Saturday we are having junior prom.”

“So I’ve heard. I think this time I was really uncommunicated. So, finally did you decide who you were going with?” Fate couldn't help but ask and as soon as the words came out, she mentally chastised herself for asking. She had had the firm conviction of not asking her a thing. If she had decided to distance herself, that was her choice. She was not going to beg. But here she was, and even against her own will, she had asked and now she’ll have to deal with the answer.

“I...ahhh...” Nanoha hesitated, a little surprised that Fate knew she had several options for prom.

“I bumped into Hayate this morning. It seems rather amusing to her that you have some many candidates to choose from. She wouldn’t stop talking to me about it.” Fate somehow guessed what Nanoha was thinking and felt the need to justify how she knew.

Nanoha slightly blushed. The last weeks without Fate had been extremely weird not only because what had happened between them, but because all the boys around here seemed to notice that distance between her and Fate and, as fast as bees over honey had overwhelmed her with invitations to dinner and actual dates. But that wasn’t it. To increase her confusion, she had also been asked out by two girls from her Literature class. For some reason, she rejected them immediately.

In those hazy days, full of doubts and questions, she accepted to go out on dates, and yet none of them was what she expected. With most of the boys she had had nothing to talk about. They had been, the majority of them, nice and attentive but she could never pay them the attention they deserved. Her mind would always drift away to other places, to another person in particular. Although there had also been the one who had wanted a little more action and the only thing he got in return was his dignity, and probably his crotch, a little more bruised than he would have expected.

Fate finished emptying her locker and, accepting the silence that had grown, shut it close.

“I guess I’ll see you later,” she excused herself.

She walked towards the main door while Nanoha stood still where she had left her. A few seconds later she felt her wrist being pulled and found herself entering in the first available door.

“Nanoha!?”

Fate was convinced that such things only happened on TV when, when someone was pulled into a door at random it turned out to be the janitor’s closet. The mop and broom showing behind Nanoha’s head and the smell of cheap disinfectant cleared all possible doubts about where they were.

“I need to talk to you.”

“In here?”

Nanoha gasped, offended.

“I don’t care about the place.”

“Then why don’t we go somewhere else?”

“Would you let me say what I need to say?”

Fate dropped her arms to the sides, almost a sign of defeat, and got prepared to listen.

“What do you need to say?

“You didn’t give me a chance to answer...”

“Answer, what?” Fate asked, a little desperate already.

“Who I was going to the prom.”

“Oh, that. Well I guess it’s not a big deal. Not that it is any of my business anyways.”

“You don’t care who I’m going with?”

Fate was positively sure she had just discovered a new allergy to one of those cleaners in that closet, which would explain the sudden discomfort in her eyes.

“To which one of your numerous proposals did you say yes?”

“Are you crying?”

“Of course I’m not crying, it’s the chlorine!”

“Well, actually... what I wanted to tell you is that...” Nanoha started to clumsily play with her fingers as if they were little legs, walking from one of the shelves and into Fate’s arm. “That I really missed you when you were not here...”

Within five seconds and thanks to the warm touch of her fingers against her skin, Fate’s exasperation disappeared. The lousy mood she had carried for the past ten weeks vanished. Her crimson eyes lingered curiously on Nanoha and following her game, she started to walk her fingers, above the clothes, starting from Nanoha’s navel and upward.

“Is that so?” She asked with her eyes set on her. “And how much did you miss me?”

“A lot...”

“And what did you miss about me?”

“Everything...”

“Everything, like what?”

“Your smile, your eyes, your voice, your hugs...” Her fingers were already traveling the long length of Fate’s arm, although her eyes were fixed on her own shoes.

“I see... anything else?”

“Yes...I also missed... your kisses...” She answered in a whisper Fate could barely hear, trying to hide the warmth in her cheeks.

Fate pushed her hands against Nanoha’s stomach and slid them to her back, pulling her against her own body. She found no resistance from her.

“These hugs?” Fate whispered, leaning her head to her shoulder and started caressing the skin of her neck with her lips. “These kisses?” She asked again, as she moved up to her mouth and felt Nanoha slightly nodding .

“Ah, ah..aha...” She muttered, with her heart racing.

Fate was about to reach her mouth and when she was barely brushing her lips, she stopped and locked her eyes with hers.

“What about your doubts?”

“I... I don’t know if it’s normal,” the auburn-haired girl sighed confused. “Doesn’t it worry you?”

Fate shook her head, and placing her forehead against hers, asked.

“What is normal?”

“I shouldn’t feel this way about a girl.”

Fate sighed bewildered, trying to find the words that could let her know how she perceived their situation.

“By now you should have already realized that normal doesn’t apply to either of us. Besides I don’t see you as a girl, I mean you are obviously a girl, but that doesn’t make a difference whatsoever for me. You are just Nanoha, my Nanoha. I like being with you, it makes me happy being with you. I don’t understand why there has to be any more to it.” She answered, stroking the reddish locks of hair falling over her eyes.

“And you are my Fate-chan. It also makes me happy being with you. Will you be patient with me?”

Fate took Nanoha’s hands and placed her delicate palms against hers, her own fingers a bit longer than the other girls’.

“Does that mean I can’t go out with anyone else?”

Nanoha looked at her confused. She didn’t want her dating anyone else.

“Do you... want to date someone else?”

“Of course not, you dummy. Although I should, considering you had all those hot dates.”

“Mou, Fate-chan. I didn’t have any hot dates. Are you jealous?”

“Should I?” She asked, shaking her head.

“I would if I were you.”

“Then I deserve a reward for not making you go through such experience,” Fate answered as she got closer to her. “And for not being a jealous maniac.”

Nanoha placed her hands behind Fate’s neck and pulled her close, playfully brushing her lips against the smiling blonde’s.

“Are you dumping your date for the prom?” She managed to ask as they kissed.

“Why would I want to do that?”

Fate pulled backwards as if she had just received a surge of electricity.

“Who are you going with?” She demanded to know, visibly upset.

“With you! I want to go with you. I didn’t say yes to anyone...because the only one I wanted to go with, is you.”

“For heaven’s sake Nanoha, why didn’t you start with that since the beginning?”

“I wasn’t sure if Fate-chan wanted to know anything about me after me being so stupid.”

“One day you are going to drive me crazy. I know.” She answered as she hugged her tightly. “Smooth ways of asking me to go to the prom with you, you dummy.”

* * *

“And that was our first fight.”

“Along with the first time we made up again.” Fate completed.

“Oh yes, I remember those days. I always wondered how you had resolved your differences. It’s good to know, after all these years, that the little pushes I gave to each actually worked. Wait, the first?"

“Of course. You wouldn’t think everything has been all nice and fluffiness.” Nanoha replied.

“Well it kind of destroys my image of you two.”

Fate cracked in laughter.

“We’ve had our misunderstandings. Lots of it. But we’ve worked on them, because despite everything we might not agree about, ever since that day we understood there was something bigger than anything else...”

“Nothing or no one would ever break us apart,” Nanoha completed.

“Oh, aren’t you the cutest ever!”

“Aren’t you supposed to be impartial, Hayate?”

“Doctor Hayate for you while we are on therapy.”

“Nanoha, do you really think we should encourage her with this? I think she’s going bananas for real.”

“You know how Hayate is. Don’t take her too seriously.”

Why are they again speaking to each other as if I wasn’t here?

“Alright, but I really think she’s the one that should go to therapy or something. I mean, just in case.”

And they have the nerve to call me crazy, to my face!

“But who knows, what will happen if they start her on medication and dope her and she stops being our Hayate or they lock her down?”

“Don’t exaggerate so much...”

“You know, if they actually declare her insanity...”

That’s too much already. I should see them out now before I forget I’m a person of light and peace.


	3. Third Session

"Come on Fate-chan. Last time you said that next time you would go first. So, the stage is yours now." Hayate all but pushed a sheepishly blushing Fate to the center of the bar.

The place was jam-packed and some people had already tried their luck on the stage. Some duets, but mainly single singers had found the courage to step on the stage and sang, if some of that could be called singing, to the top of their lungs, and laughed as they finished, cheered by their friends and the rest of the potential singers.

"I-I don't even know what to sing," Fate replied as she was being pushed, trying to push back her weight against Hayate.

"Leave that to me."

With that said, Hayate gave her the final push with which Fate leaped the three steps up to the stage in one stride. Hayate, approached the hostess and whispered a few things. She nodded and Hayate clapped effusively. A few seconds later Hayate was back in the booth again. She got Nanoha off her seat and sat in the middle, forcing Nanoha to sit on the right most part of the booth. On the other side of the booth Suzuka and Arisa were deciding what drinks to order. It was girls night out.

Fate stood in the middle of the stage. She dressed simply and yet she looked absolutely ravishing on stage. Her golden hair flowing back untamed, her wine eyes showing a bit of fear, a bit of excitement and her particular glint, which to the unfamiliar eyes might seem like a melancholic almost indecipherable look. Black high-heeled boots, dark black jeans that showed off her long well-formed legs, a striped yellow top and her black leather jacket completed her look. Her colors, her style. She looked anxiously at the people on the tables and with her fingers toyed anxiously with Bardiche hanging in her golden necklace. Most of them were enjoying their drinks, but they all had their eyes on her. Her hands then clutched to the microphone as if her life depended on it. The lights dimmed and the first strings of the extremely familiar song were heard.

Fate breathed in deeply. This was a song she knew a lot too well. She wouldn't even need to look at the screen to follow the lyrics at all. Hayate had gotten her hands on her iPod for sure. During the first seconds of the song as the soft strings started playing voicelessly, she looked for the slate blue eyes that filled her mind every time she sang to this song. Her palms were sweaty as she felt the thrill of being the center of attention and yet with one look at those blue eyes that were the world to her, her voice started to flow, soft and beautiful, directed to the only girl in her world.

_ No one ever saw me like you do _

_ All the things that I could add up too _

_ I never knew just what a smile was worth _

_ But your eyes say everything without a single word _

Countless images of them appeared before her.

The first time they met.

The first time Nanoha held her and carried her in her arms and flew into the sky.

Nanoha extending her hand for her to take.

All about Nanoha.

Each and every time she introduced herself to her.

Everytime she repeated her name, and every time it got deeper in her mind.

The moment they met on the bridge and exchanged ribbons.

The first time she felt the warmth of her hands.

The transition of awkward moments that led to comforting hugs to waking up together sharing the same bed.

_ 'Cause there's somethin' in the way you look at me _

_ It's as if my heart knows you're the missing piece _

_ You make me believe that there's nothing in this world I can't be _

_ I never know what you see _

_ But there's somethin' in the way you look at me _

For Fate it was as if everybody in the bar had disappeared. Her eyes were set and her heart led her voice.

With each strophe she walked a step closer to those eyes that had stolen her heart.

She sang and her voice poured out her feelings. Her voice was soft and arose from her soul, as pure and beautiful.

Because every word of that song reflected her feelings, and because in her eyes she found everything she needed.

Because up to this day sometimes she still wondered what exactly had Nanoha seen in her.

_ If I could freeze a moment in my mind _

_ It'll be the second that you touch your lips to mine _

_ I'd like to stop the clock, make time stand still _

_ 'cause, baby, this is just the way I always wanna feel _

Because she remembered that exact moment all too well.

The desire.

The fear.

The love.

The sighs.

The first kiss that sealed what they already knew in her hearts for so long.

The relief.

The love.

The dreams.

The way the air became warmer.

The way their mind and their heart conspired together.

Because sometimes words were not needed when hearts understood each other.

When in the eyes you could read everything the heart insisted on shouting.

_ 'cause there's somethin' in the way you look at me _

_ It's as if my heart knows you're the missing piece _

_ You make me believe that there's nothing in this world I can't be _

_ I never know what you see _

_ But there's somethin' in the way you look at me _

And she walked towards her, knowing that she was her reason to be.

The woman she'd never stop falling in love with.

And her voice dropped a little, because she was singing to her and to her alone.

And the distance between them grew smaller with every step.

_ I don't know how or why I feel different in your eyes _

_ All I know is it happens every time _

And this time she extended her hand for Nanoha to take, and she did without hesitation. Fate closed the distance between them and forgot about the song in the back while she looked for those lips and melted with hers into a deep kiss as the music for the last chorus continued. In her mind she could follow the lyrics, but her lips were much too busy to focus on that.

_ 'cause there's somethin' in the way you look at me _

_ It's as if my heart knows you're the missing piece _

_ You make me believe that there's nothing in this world i can't be _

_ I never know what you see _

_ But there's somethin' in the way you look at me _

Not only Arisa, Suzuka and Hayate, but also the other customers turned into an attentive audience erupted into applause, whistles and cheers as the music stopped and the lights were lit up again and Fate hid her face in Nanoha's neck, her face reaching the limits of human redness.

"Whoa, Fate. I didn't know you had that in you," Hayate bursted.

Fate still was hiding in Nanoha as she shared her blush.

The whistles and claps faded eventually and the host called for the next singer.

"The next round of drinks are one the house ladies," a curvy waitress informed them and winked at Hayate.

"Hey Hayate, I think you scored again," Arisa teased her.

"Hehehe, let's not forget who to thank for, for our next round of drinks," Hayate answered them but her eyes were following the waiter.

"Why would I need a drink now? I already did  _ that _ , and sober!" Fate said, who was leaning against Nanoha who had her arms protectively crossed over Fate's shoulders and crossed over her chest.

"And you were just amazing!" Nanoha told her beaming. "I love you so much," she whispered to Fate's ear.

Fate took Nanoha's hands and kissed her wrists and then her palms.

"I love you more."

* * *

"Geez girls, I'm starting to feel like I've played some sort of role in your relationship."

"Well.. maybe indirectly, you have pushed us on the right track..." Fate answered with a warm look on her eyes.

"...at the right moments."

They seem to have some sort of natural sync to end each other's sentences. Maybe they always have and I just hadn't noticed, or maybe it's something they developed over the course of time.

"I like your story girls, but you see, I'm starting to think you are not quite reliable when you tell your stories."

"What? Why would you think so, Hayate?"

"Well... you see I was with you that day, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, you chose my song. How can I  _ ever _ forget that?"

"Well I differ from your recollection of that night's events."

"Okay, maybe my description of Fate is a little biased. But she did look amazing that night," Nanoha replied, slightly coloring her cheeks.

"No, Nanoha, I don't mean that. You exaggerated the whole thing about the waitress."

"Really? Are you daring to contest  _ that part _ of our story?"

The way Nanoha asked seemed almost as if she were challenging me. How bold of her!

"Now that I push my memory a bit harder, I seem to remember you actually disappeared for a while Hayate. And you never go to the bathroom alone." Fate added.

"Certainly not when the free rounds of drinks turned into another and another."

Oh, that had been  _ that  _ time... I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"Okay, okay, back to our main topic. Forget about the waitress."

"Did you ever call her?"

"There was no waitress."

"You never called her?"

"Stop with the questions already. The therapy is about you two, not me!"

"Come on, Hayate. She looked nice..."

"Focus girls!"

I don't think these two are going to let this thing rest now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is The Way you Look at me from, the version from Kassie de Paiva (original version from Christian Bautista).


	4. Fourth Session

"Please take a seat, Nanoha. Can I get you anything?"

This is our fourth session and today Nanoha is the only one attending.

"Some coffee would be great."

I walked towards the small service table in one of the corners of my office. Amazingly enough, I've been able to understand how to work these diabolic machines. I place the crystal cup in place, and after a loud screech, said machine fills it perfectly. You just press one button and this thing masterfully prepares a cappuccino, with its perfect transitions between milk and coffee, and of course topped with delicious foam. It would be impossible to get that coffee more perfect than it already is. A few seconds later, I have a second one ready. In the meantime I keep chatting with Nanoha.

"Fate couldn't make it this time, huh?"

"Yeah," Nanoha answers, a bit dismayed. "We were able to talk a bit this morning. There were some problems and she had to stay for the weekend. Some people are down with a virus or something and they are quarantined. You know how she is, she never gets sick so she volunteered to stay on duty. I hope she can be back by next Friday. Actually I didn't know whether to cancel today's appointment or not."

"I'm glad you didn't," I answered as I handed her the cup of coffee. "I knew there would be times when Fate wouldn't be able to make it. Of course that will mean less stress for her, and as long as this doesn't get in the middle of other things you need to do, I have enjoyed these talks with you a lot."

"I am glad you are finally using the gift I gave you," Nanoha laughed. "And I agree with you. The truth is, we have both enjoyed our talks a lot. When we leave here, we keep talking about things that… I don't want to say things we have forgotten, it's more like things we didn't remember we remembered. It's like opening a memento box of us."

Nanoha's mind must be a weird and complicated place because I guess only she understood what she was trying to say, but she was so inspired it would be a felony to interrupt her.

"It's more like we have taken this as an opportunity to remember and relive so many things we have lived together. Everything we have gone through to get to this minute today, knowing that we wouldn't change anything in the least bit, because maybe that thing could change everything. Therefore, the good things, the bad things, everything has been worth it because we can be here today. And that opportunity we owe it to you."

"It's not as complicated as it seemed at first, then?"

"Well, I must confess Fate tried to talk me out of coming here today."

"Why am I not surprised at all?"

"She just suggested it a couple of times," Nanoha laughed a little mischievously.

"Does she worry about what you may say about her?" I asked suspiciously.

"I guess she'd rather know exactly what I say about her."

"Well, and considering Fate-chan isn't around, spill the beans. Who is the one who takes the couch when you two argue?"

"Nyahaha," Nanoha laughed her usual laugh. With a half-smile you looked to the window and sipped her coffee.

"Tell me…" I insisted.

Nanoha scratched her head and looked at me amused.

"Aren't you telling? Let me guess… Would you be such a meanie as to send her to the couch?"

Nanoha's guilty expression was as much of an answer as I could get.

"Fine, let's get to that when Fate can speak for her own. So tell me, how or when did you realize she was the one?"

Nanoha's expression softened immediately. Her blue eyes acquired a violet glint to them which accented her dreamy look and the smile appearing in her lips became wider.

She moved a little on her chair and sipped some more coffee, taking her time to answer. I was definitely getting a full answer on this.

"It's hard to know if there was a right or specific moment. You don't see it at first, I think, it's only when you look back when you can understand what certain things mean. I guess it's like a whole series of events that eventually build up to it; I do have one moment very clear in my mind, it happened a few weeks after the Book of Darkness Incident. Everything was going back to normal..."

"Or what we know as _normal_ ", I emphasized the last word.

* * *

A girl with copperlike twintails walked side by side with another one, slightly taller and with long blonde twin tails. Their school uniforms would hardly reveal their true identities. The dangers they have had to overcome at such a young age, the uncanny magical power lying within each; the responsibilities they had on them. Nonetheless, what wasn't typical of those two schoolgirls was the melancholic look in the eyes of one of them and the worried look of the other.

"Is it stupid to love someone I didn't know?"

"I don't think it's stupid."

"I sometimes feel guilty for being here. It's her, Alicia, the one who should be..."

"I-I...don't know what to tell you Fate-chan," Nanoha stuttered a bit. "In that sense, I can only see things in my own selfish way, and I don't think it will help you much."

Her hand instinctively looked for the young blonde's one, who immediately felt the surge of color in her cheeks. She squeezed it lightly as they kept walking together. Little by little, their fingers found its way between each other.

"Nanoha, one thing you could never be is selfish."

"In this case, yes..."

"..."

Nanoha and Fate both stopped at the enormous maple tree that dominated the park. They left their student bags on the grass and simultaneously sat down, leaning on the tree. The blonde laid her head on the brunette's shoulder while they both idly watched the clouds in the sky. Nanoha in return, put her arm on the shoulders of the other girl.

"If she hadn't...if nothing had ever happened... Sometimes I can't help but think what could have happened if I hadn't done something else instead of what I did. Or what could have happened if one didn't meet certain people. In this case if that accident had never happened, then you wouldn't... you never...," with the first tears glittering in her eyes, she tooks Fate's hands between hers and looked at the tears in her eyes.

"Why do I feel so guilty?," she said in between sobs.

"But it was not your fault. You had nothing to do with what happened."

"I can't seem to be able to separate between my own memories and Alicia's memories, it's so confusing, but at times I wish she were alive," Fate whispered with tears almost choking her throat shut.

"Don't ever say that," Nanoha begged, tightening the grip of her hands.

"Why not?"

"Because if that were the case, if she was alive, then you... you would have never been born. And then I'd be very lonely, and I'd miss you..." Not even finishing her sentence, she hugged herself tightly against the blonde.

"You wouldn't be lonely," she answered, delicately stroking her hair.

"But it wouldn't be the same without you," Nanoha answered back, looking her directly into her eyes.

"You couldn't miss something you hadn't known yet," answered pinching the tip of her nose.

Nanoha sighed and rested in between Fate's arms.

_I always knew something was missing in my life. That feeling has been fading away since you entered my life. It's as if there was a space in me where I only found loneliness, and now it's as if that space holds your name, it was waiting for you, because you just filled it with your own self. Because I can look at you and know that I won't be alone ever again, your eyes tell me so. Even if you are not exactly here with me, I know you are with me._

"Fate-chan?"

"Yes?" The owner of the burgundy eyes asked.

"Wasn't it supposed to be me the one comforting you?"

"Well, it's an unusual method, but you do," she answered sweetly, carefully placing the rebellious locks of Nanoha's hairs behind her ear.

"I'm glad I don't have to face my inner demons alone..."

They stayed a little longer silently enjoying each other's company, enjoying the peacefulness of the place they were in. Such simple things as listening to the birds chirping, or watching the butterflies flying by, leaving a colorful trail in their way or the neverending transformation of the clouds in the sky, simply became a thousand times better just because they were enjoying them together.

They both allowed their minds to wander and even if at that moment there were things yet to be understood, there were things they already knew. Because they both knew there were so many things they always wanted to say to each other, ideas in their minds that they just didn't know how to put into words, but they could understand, just by looking at each other, just by their touch. Because they knew there was a real, unbreakable bond between them.

A couple of minutes passed by, in silence, which was broken when Fate sighed heavily.

"Do you think she would have liked me, had she known me?"

"I think that, wherever she is, she loves you and wants you to be happy."

"Nanoha?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you."


	5. Fifth Session

**Fifth Session**

"Nanoha, hi," with a rushed kiss on the lips Fate greeted Nanoha. "Sorry to be late." She apologized to both of us, in her unique flustered and rushed style.

"Don't worry Fate. We know you had some rough days. We missed you last week, actually, we considered canceling this week's session because it seemed inhuman to make you come here immediately after being back, but I am definitely happy you decided to come."

The Enforcer took a moment to remove her jacket and carefully place it on her chair. She then took a seat next to the blue-eyed and her hand found the natural home between Nanoha's hands. Even as I sit here silently observing them, I pick up on those little details from them I am sure they probably don't realize from each other.

"I suppose I have to accept these sessions have turned out to be somewhat relaxing. It's not that I had forgotten things, but it's nice to remember those stories."

"Funny, that's actually very similar to what Nanoha said last week."

"Is it? And what did you talk about last week while I was not here?" Fate turned to Nanoha.

"Do you remember that video call for our anniversary two years ago?"

I was about to protest, but I couldn't help but notice Fate going unnaturally pale.

"Tell me you are joking, you couldn't possibly have."

All my sensors are going off in imminent alert mode. That anniversary must have been quite something. I need to know what is behind that story. Smoking hot smoldering sex? Maybe costumes included...or maybe even edible underwear? My first theory is probably certain, Fate's reaction is foolproof. But more important than that, will I make them tell me that story?

Oh, yeah, sometimes my little twisted kinky side gets the best of me and I can't contain a giggle.

But look at that, Nanoha is giggling mischievously as well, she is clearly enjoying teasing Fate like this.

"Nyahaha."

"Nanoha!"

"No, I did not tell her any of that. I'd be incapable."

"But you might as well already. Look at her, she's salivating like a bloodthirsty hound."

Wow, you hold on right a second Fate. I don't salivate, I was about to say when some unexpected knocks on my door took us by surprise.

"I am so sorry girls, I will be back in ten minutes... tops."

There are few things that will take them away from these two...but the heart wants what the heart wants, so...

* * *

Nanoha hadn't stopped giggling when she and Fate found themselves alone in Hayate's office. Fate took the opportunity and closed in shyly to kiss her.

"I missed you, you naughty. How are you?"

"Happy to have you back. How long do I have you this time?" Nanoha answered, pulling closer the blonde while the look on her eyes acquired a deeper tone, a look Fate knew how to read perfectly.

"I need to be back Wednesday morning," the Enforcer replied, feeling a nervous rush going through her as those blue eyes observed her with clear intentions.

"I need to make the most out of our time then," and without further explanation, Nanoha stood up and passed one of her legs to Fate's side, which allowed her to sit on her lap, getting very close to her.

Fate immediately held Nanoha by the hips as the blue-eyed captured her lips into a deep kiss.

"Nanoha! Hayate can come back any second," Fate tried to mumble while kissing.

"We have time, didn't you hear? She is saying goodbye to Carim."

* * *

"You have to tell me what is your secret," I ask as I sit down on my executive chair.

Does the air feel thicker? It does. I should have installed those spycams I saw on a rebate.

"What secret are you talking about, Hayate?"

"You two. Why can't you keep yourselves off each other?"

Fate eyed me suspiciously as if she had no idea what I was talking about. Really, you want to play that game, my friend?

"Don't look at me like that Fate. Even with your super serious 'I wouldn't even hurt a fly' look, it is useless when the buttons of your shirt are mismatched. Especially considering they were perfectly buttoned when you arrived."

Sorry, you asked for it, my friend.

Nanoha exploded into a burst of laughter that proved both their culpability. She clearly had not paid attention in the rush when closing Fate's shirt. Not that I judge them, they hadn't seen each other for days now and it is so funny to poke at them, especially when they make it so easy.

And poor Fate, of course, she is blushing so hard she can't even decide whether to button them or leave them like that.

"Some way or another it seems you two manage to carry me off the track I intend on our sessions. I have a much better idea now. My sleuth instincts tell me this is not the first time you have been in this situation. I mean, if it's happening to you as grownups I can only imagine…"

I end the phrase with a very dramatic pose, touching my forehead with the back of my hand, hoping my dramatic attempt will make them talk.

This time Fate is the one who started to laugh and Nanoha the one who blushed. Hayate you hit a jackpot. I have to keep a dignified look, don't make them see how proud you are after hitting gold.

Neither seemed to find the ability to actually speak, they were just laughing and giggling at each other. I need them to stay on track.

"It seems I am not wrong then. I want to know everything. How old were you, who did what, when, why, and how."

Fate (surprise, surprise she is the one talking!) answered they were about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and that they both were at Nanoha's parents' house. She was going to prepare one of her birthday presents.

"One?" I had to ask.

"Well, she always prepares a cake for the both of us. It has become a tradition for us… and then she always manages to surprise me with another special treat," Fate replied with a wide and proud grin.

"Anyways, that day we were in the kitchen…"

* * *

"Fate-chan stop fooling around with the melted chocolate. I won't have enough for the cake if you keep eating it."

"Just a little bit more," Fate asked with her best puppy eyes.

"It's always the same with you, next year you won't get a cake if you keep behaving like this."

"Ok, fine," Fate mumbled dejectedly.

Nanoha opened the fridge to get out a stick of butter and the one thing she sees as she is closing the fridge is Fate again, dipping her finger in the bowl with melted chocolate.

"I. Warned. You."

"Don't use that tone with me," Fate replied amused, and got closer to her.

"You are worse than a child!"

"And you are too uptight!"

To upset her even more, Fate rushed to smear Nanoha's cheek with her chocolate-covered finger, but she wasn't as fast as she thought to escape, because Nanoha captured her finger with her lips.

"Hey!" Fate protested while Nanoha licked the chocolate from her finger. "Don't eat it all, because then certain _someone_ complains I ate all the chocolate." Fate replied with a challenging look.

"Don't you dare, Fate-chan!" Nanoha read the blonde's intentions immediately as the aforementioned used the same finger to get more chocolate from the bowl. "Ugh, Fate-chan! That's disgusting."

"Whatever, it's for us anyways." Fate kept enjoying the chocolate.

"You're impossible," Nanoha huffed.

Fate looked at her very proud of herself and finished licking every last trace of chocolate.

"No more chocolate for you, until I finish preparing your cake," Nanoha stated firmly.

"Are you sure?" Fate pouted.

To be very clear with her answer, Nanoha took the bowl and hid it behind her. Fate closed in, clear on her target. Nanoha locked eyes with Fate's trying to read her movements. The blonde tried to reach over her, taking advantage of the height difference between the both of them. Despite that, the youngest Takamachi managed to keep away the blonde's object of desire.

She thought she did at least.

As Fate was already over her, she changed the strategy and circled her waist with her other hand and drew her in, whispering to her ear: "Can I have some more please."

The blonde's tone made Nanoha shiver and she couldn't help but nod.

Fate brushed Nanoha's cheek with the tip of her finger, turning her face slowly towards hers. Soon her lips replaced the tip of her finger and started to savor the chocolate she had purposefully left on her cheek and lips, which Nanoha hadn't bothered to wipe away in the middle of their "discussion". Deliberately sensually, she traced the contour of Nanoha's lips with her own, enjoying the mixture of soft velvet with the chocolate, pushing her body against her, minimizing the space between them.

Nanoha let herself enjoy the feeling until she finally relinquished possession of the bowl.

"Fate-chan, you are a mischief-maker."

"Just a little bit." Fate gave her a final kiss and with a playful reverence indicated Nanoha could continue working on the cake and she wouldn't disturb her anymore. "I promise I will behave now."

 _Of course, first, you turn me on, and then you want me to keep cooking._ _You will pay for that._ Nanoha thought to herself.

* * *

"Kyo...Na-NANOHA!"

Nanoha poked her head over the sofa, her eyes wide open as a pair of terrified hands stuck in her ribs. Her parents and her sister Miyuki were frozen at the entrance after Nanoha's mother's extremely loud outcry.

Miyuki looked half surprised and half-amused, realizing how daring her little sister turned out to be. Nanoha's father was completely stupefied by the scene in front of his eyes, or more exactly, to the scene that was happening behind that couch, considering the sounds they heard as they entered had been very revealing.

Nanoha's mother came out with a string of unintelligible exclamations. Fate, still protected behind the couch, was able to only understand the last part, directed to an almost petrified Ace.

"You and me. Kitchen. Now!"

Nanoha bolted behind her mother, leaving Fate alone with Shiro and Miyuki in the living room.

"I think I am being called to my room," Miyuki hopped out as fast as she could.

Fate had never wished more for her to be able to disappear on thin air.

They both could hear Nanoha's mother's exclamations.

"Fate-san. I would like to have a word with you. Care to join me in the backyard? Seems to me the house can fall down any moment now" he said, with almost a comical expression.

Shiro noticed Fate moving on the couch and a few seconds later headed to the backyard averting any eye contact.

For Shiro, it was the kind of thing a parent never wishes to actually see, but couldn't suppress a small smirk. Unlike Nanoha, who had all her clothes in place, it was Fate the one missing two buttons of her untucked shirt. It was his little girl, the one with initiative.

They both stepped out and Fate could only toy with her fingers. She didn't know whether to run away, offer interminable apologies or just stand and face Nanoha's father's rage.

The backyard provided a calm environment, the faint sound of the crickets welcoming the dusk upon the city. Shiro turned on the exterior lights, as he decided exactly what he wanted to talk about with Fate,

"I ahh…" Fate started to mumble downheartedly.

"Contrary to what you may think, I also had your age. It is not exactly a parents dream to arrive at the house and find out their daughter is fooling around with her boyfrie...err...girlfr…" Shiro blushed at the notion of referring to Fate as his daughter's girlfriend and sat down on the steps separating the garden with the house.

Fate finally looked at him with a shy expression.

"I don't…"

"What I am trying to say is that there is a time and place for everything. The family living room is not the best place, especially because anyone can come in."

"Yeah… I…"

"I must also say that it is a bit surprising. I suppose the preconceived image that anyone has is that these situations would be with a boy."

"Well you know I…"

Shiro scratched his head while he kept talking to Fate, though it seemed that it was more like a conversation with himself, as she hadn't been able to say anything at all.

"I didn't expect to have this type of conversation because of Nanoha before than Miyuki, or maybe it's possible Miyuki has been more discreet. In any way, Nanoha is as bold, precocious, and strong-willed as her mother."

"She's definitely strong-willed," Fate murmured even though she wasn't really understanding where the conversation was going.

"I am sure Nanoha will tell us very soon it will be time to leave the nest. The path she has chosen for her life requires it and I know you are on the same path."

Fate nodded as Shiro stood up again.

"That's why I need to know what your intentions are with her then. If this happening between you two is just casual fooling around, I think that's what it's called these days, or if it is actually something more serious. I know you are only fifteen, but I need to know if I can trust you with one of my three princesses."

Fate stood up tall as she already was as a teenager and looked at him with a fierce determination in her eyes.

"It's not fooling around. I am always going to protect her."

Despite the evident blushing in her cheeks, Shiro could see in her eyes she meant every word.

"I am glad to hear that." He said, placing her hands firmly on her shoulders. "I can tell she is in good hands then."

"Thank you… uhm… she… Nanoha, means a lot to me."

"I know she does," Shiro replied, slightly turning around towards the kitchen's window. "It seems they are going to be at it for a while. Don't worry about Momoko, she can be a little explosive sometimes, but I know she thinks as I do. What do you say to some sparring in the dojo? Nanoha always talks wonders about your combat abilities, but when you are around she never lets me test them."

"Sure, why not," Fate answered, relieved.

"That way I will get a good measure of who is taking care of my little girl."

They both entered the family dojo. It was almost a sanctuary for the Takamachi family. Just by stepping in gave a feeling of isolation from the rest of the world

"Are you comfortable with your clothes? It's possible Miyuki's robes will fit you."

"It's not necessary, thank you. I'm ok like this." She answered a little flustered. She wasn't sure what to expect from this mock combat with the Takamachi patriarch. She could imagine Nanoha's face though if she saw them in combat. She just hoped Nanoha was not having a bad time with her mother.

They walked over to where the wooden and bamboo sabers were carefully placed. After a brief observation, and with Shiro's non-verbal request to choose one, Fate decided and picked one.

"Huh, precisely Nanoha's. She does not use it very often though, she always preferred to watch her siblings. She has increased her practice times more though."

"It's not her style, close body combat."

"I think..thought so too.." Shiro managed to repress an involuntary chuckle.

Fate could not help but feel she had tripped herself into a double entendre wordplay, and with her girlfriend's father on top of it.

After some warming up, they faced each other to start the mock battle.

"I don't have to tell you not to hold back, Fate-san?"

Fate's eyes glowed amused.

Shiro was surprised by Fate's speed. She was forceful with her strikes and seemed to be able to read every single one of his forward attacks. Even more surprising was that the teenager was considerably stronger and more skillful than she appeared. She kept to his rhythm, and not only that, she tested him with challenging movements. In the middle of the fight, Shiro noticed the personality transformation that had taken over Fate. From shy and reserved, she became bold and determined in combat.

"Not bad for a teenager," Shiro taunted as he evaded Fate's attempt to grip him.

"Not bad for a restaurant owner," Fate countered with a grin as she evaded him.

The door of the dojo opened and both Nanoha and Momoko were stunned at the sight of Fate and Shiro sparring.

From the corner of the eye, Fate noticed Nanoha at the exact moment Shiro tried to grip her. Fate fell on her back while Nanoha rushed to her while bickering to her father.

"Otousan!"

Both Fate and Shiro laughed, as the second extended his hand for the first to stand up.

"Well done Fate-san. Nanoha was really not overselling your abilities. If you hadn't gotten distracted for that split of a second, it's quite likely I would have been the one defeated."

He held out a hand and Fate gladly shook it.

Shiro walked towards his wife and circled her waist, walked her back to the house.

"What was all that, Fate-chan?"

"A duel to define if I was worthy of your honor."

"What are you talk─"

Fate interrupted Nanoha's question with a fleeting kiss.

"Kidding, we were just hanging out waiting for you. Your father was actually very understanding. And you? My mother in law wants to murder me?"

"It wasn't as bad as I expected. The only thing they are going to discuss is what is going to happen when we have sleepovers."

"They worry you and I…"

"Yep."

"Oh, and they also want you to stay for family dinner, to celebrate your birthday tonight."

"Family dinner?"

"If you are my girlfriend you are part of the family, right?"

Fate nodded smiling.

* * *

"This cake really smells delicious" Shiro casually commented after enjoying the family dinner, subtly hinting he wanted a slice of Nanoha's freshly baked cake.

"Well, you see, dad I promised Fate that cake was for her."

Nanoha tried to find a good excuse. After all their coming and going with the chocolate, she couldn't allow anyone else to eat from that cake, not that 'What the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve for' couldn't apply here...but still.

" _You have to eat it all,"_ Nanoha told Fate mind to mind.

" _Nanoha, I can't possibly do that!"_

"Come on Nanoha, it's too much for her anyway. As you prepared it today, for tomorrow it's not going to be as fresh."

* * *

"Please don't tell me your family ate the cake" I had to ask.

"Sadly, they did," Nanoha replied amused.

"That cake was absolutely delicious," Fate said while tugging at Nanoha's sleeve. "Can we prepare one tomorrow?"

"Sure, now I will have two girls in the kitchen instead of one," Nanoha answered with a playful wink.

"So what did your mother tell you in the kitchen. It seemed to be a long speech."

I have met Momoko Takamachi, and I really can't imagine going all devil on the White Devil herself.

"Sure it was. Fate-chan and I had already been dating a couple of months by the time and I haven't mentioned it to my parents. They already referred to us as inseparable, so it wasn't much of a surprise to them. Of course, they didn't expect to find it like _that_." Nanoha tried to hide a smile.

"If by _that_ you mean realizing their sweet teenage, youngest daughter is hormonal and handsy towards a certain shy blonde, you are right Nanoha, I am sure no parent wants to know that."

"Don't get me started on being handsy, Hayate. You know you are the queen in that realm. Even Vivio has adopted some of your qualities. I should stop her from spending so much time with you before I get called to her school."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Going back to you, were you over your inner conflict phase about dating Fate?"

"Yes, after prom, Fate-chan was incredibly patient with me as she promised and all the doubts I had, vanished."

"You never had any doubts, Fate?"

Fate shook her head.

"As time went by, I was more convinced that she was my absolute happiness. It worried me though I wasn't good enough for her."

Nanoha turned to the crimson-eyed, looking at her in disbelief.

"What are you talking about Fate-chan?"

"I am not saying I still feel that way," she answered softly caressing Nanoha's fingers. "I guess it was just some remainder feelings… my internal conflicts about my own existence. There were a lot of times I didn't feel like a real person, human and real. That I was just the monstrous result of a grotesque experiment. But thanks to you I understood more about myself. That what I felt and feel about you is real."

Nanoha looked at Fate with so much love in her eyes, not even I dared interrupt her, and she continued.

"How could I not be a human being if I knew what it was to be in love? Feeling that special tingling inside me when you talk to me or hug me, to be able to look into your eyes and forget everything. So thanks to you I made peace with myself over time. In you, I find everything I need. My best friend, my confidant, my lover, my soulmate. Growing up, every day, every new experience lived with you, as simple as it might seem to anyone else, to me it was a new fragment of a whole series of revelations. This was how Fate Testarossa discovered that she had a soul, that she could fall in love, that she was, after all, a person like any other. After that other challenges would come, Elio, Caro made me discover facets of myself that I did not know yet. And of course, now with Vivio, we have even more challenges. But it was all about you."

"There's not one day I am not grateful for the luck of having you in my life, Fate-chan. You are not only good enough, you are the best that could ever happen to me."


	6. Sixth Session

It's Friday afternoon and it is time for my dear experimental subjects to arrive. Well, yeah… right...they are my friends, I should call them friends instead of experimental subjects.

It's not like I pushed them to each other as if on an experiment to see how long it took for them to act on their feelings, or at least admit their feelings to each other. Surely they needed some nudges here and there. Nothing more.

Obviously, the prime material was already present. But they both can be so dense at times...

Back when we were kids, barely teenagers, all they shared were ridiculously meaningful looks and permanent hand-holding. And all they -no not they, just Nanoha as Fate would remain suspiciously silent as always- all She would say to any of my remarks would be: "We're just friends Hayate-chan!".

Unnerving I am telling you.

I wanted to smack their heads together and show them how Suzuka, Arisa and I didn't hold hands like _they_ did. And _all_ the time when they thought no one would see them, walking home just the two of them… Such lovely, oblivious dorks.

"Oh, you are here Hayate-chan!"

The voice of my blue eyed friend takes me by surprise as I see the door of my office opening and her head peeking in.

"Oh, hey Nanoha-chan please come on in. Both of you, please."

"We knocked twice, but there was no answer. Fate-chan was already leaving but I thought I'd rather check."

Fate tilts her head at Nanoha as if she didn't want her to let me know that. She always seems to be so afraid of me digging into their relationship as if I hadn't been a silent supporter all those years for #TeamFate until sense finally hit them.

They both finally sit down and they are staring at me. I guess they are waiting for me to say something…

"So... what do you want to snoop around today Hayate-chan?"

I'm going to ignore that hurtful remark from my dear Enforcer. I do this for you two, not for me, I want to tell her. Fate just never gets it.

"Well, you know I have been going through my notes and publications in my blog -"

"You are already publishing?" Fate interrupts me and I can see her color going up in three, two, one...yup, there it is.

Nanoha pats her knee as if trying to reassure her there's nothing wrong and I decide to ignore my blonde friend, again.

"As I was saying, I have been reviewing your memories and again I find some inconsistencies."

"What kind of inconsistencies, Hayate-chan?"

See Fate, that's the style to engage a conversation here.

"Well, you mentioned in one of your stories that Fate-chan was not the jealous type. No actually it was Fate-chan who praised herself on not being the jealous type."

"I am not jealous."

"Oh, and you tell me you have never been jealous?"

Fate blinks trying to come up with a smart-ass answer, but she is taking too long.

"What do you say, Nanoha. Is Fate-chan the jealous type or not?"

"Nyahaha."

"It seems our blonde friend here seems to forget about a certain game we played when we were cute sixth graders."

"Was that being jealous?" Nanoha asks me, obviously Fate still has no recollection of that happening. She will remember for sure.

"Well you tell me… us…!"

Nanoha chuckles and Fate seems to be trying really hard to remember. I guess it's time for Nanoha to remind her of that little story.

* * *

Sitting on the grass under the largest tree on one of the nearby parks to Seishou Elementary School, a small group of four very young friends was gathered: one purple haired, a feisty blonde one, a chestnut haired and a restless auburn haired dressed in their all white school uniforms. The laughs and chitchats indicated they were having a good time.

"Join us, Fate-chan!" the sweet purple haired girl called their friend as soon as they saw their always busy blonde friend walking towards them.

"What are you doing?" the tall blonde asked them as she joined her friends who were sitting down in a circle.

"It's a game Arisa and I were playing yesterday with other girls from school. It was loads of fun and we were about to start, but it's better with more people, so join us!"

Fate found a spot that somehow opened in the circle formed by her friends that left her with Nanoha to her right and Hayate to her left. Arisa right in front of her and Suzuka in between her and Hayate.

"Ok, so the game is called ' _Kiss, Marry, Punch',_ " Suzuka started explaining but Arisa interrupted her just as fast.

"It's actually ' _Kiss, Marry, Kill'_ but Suzuka here is too much a softie to imply killing someone even in a game."

Hayate and Nanoha giggled, already getting the drift of the game by the title, while Fate hardly paid any attention, keeping herself busy opening her lunch pack.

"Arisa-chan! It's not nice to wish for someone's death."

"But is it ok to punch someone then?"

"It's better than killing them."

"Fine, let's go with the standard kiss, marry punch, procedure," Hayate tried to shush the two girls.

"So who do we choose from? Like movie stars?" Nanoha asked.

"It's more fun if we choose from people we know."

Hayate was already plotting all sorts of names and combinations in her head to tease her friends.

"Oh, ok, we get it." Nanoha accepted.

"I will start," Arisa mentioned. "So, Suzuka-chan, you have to choose between Kyoya …"

"Eek!" Nanoha gasped. "My brother is Suzuka's sister's boyfriend!"

"That's why this is so funny Nanoha-chan. To get to choose in those dilemmas. And create drama!" Hayate gave Nanoha a very funny look, one Nanoha couldn't really understand.

"Exactly." Arisa snorted. "So Kyoya, Tatsuki-san..."

"Eww" Nanoha couldn't help gasping again. "He's old and a teacher! Older than my brother, can you choose someone more our age, maybe?"

Suzuka was already blushing, considering the two options she had been given and dreading the last one.

"Stop interrupting, Nanoha-chan, you will get your turn. Kyoya, Tatsuki-san and… fine… someone our age...I guess… Fate-cha…"

Nanoha opened her eyes to say something but just held her breath.

Even Fate shot up as she had heard her name, but sighed relieved as she heard Arisa finishing saying her options.

"...aan's brother, Chrono."

All the girls looked intensely at Suzuka who was profusely blushed trying to find the least embarrassing option. Surely it had been more fun when she had heard everyone's answers the day before and she had not been the one to choose.

"Kikisskyoyapnchssukisandandmrrychrno," Suzuka muttered under her breath and with lightning speed.

"I didn't get any of that Suzuka." Hayate poked Suzuka's cheek.

"Ki...kiss...Kyoya...Punch...Tsuzuki-san aaaand….well you know the option left."

Arisa burst into laughter.

"You would punch a teacher"! Nanoha gasped surprised.

"That's what is surprising you? She'd kiss her sister's boyfriend! Your brother!"

"So innocent dear Suzuka looks and wow…" Hayate ended her phrase with a provocative meow and clawing very cat-like. Which everyone knew had very little to do with cats and more to do with… other things...

Suzuka also had to laugh at Hayate's weird imitation of a cat.

In all justice...maybe everyone knew what Hayate meant...except Suzuka herself.

After they finally finished laughing, Hayate was the first one to continue the game.

"Ok, settled! You will have an exciting love life Suzuka-chan, I can't doubt that. So... I am next to choose."

Hayate pointed a menacing finger towards her blue-eyed, auburn-haired friend. And stood up as if presenting a show to her other friends.

"And I choose Nanoha to decide between the options I will give her. So Nanoha… Welcome to Kiss, Marry, Kill! -ehmmm- Punch! Where the rules are clear, I will present you three potentially attractive suitors for your heart to choose Nanoha-chan! So… choose wisely!"

It was actually a miracle Hayate had not summoned her device to provide her with the outfit of a television presenter of some corny contest TV show.

"Drumroll please!" Hayate turned to Arisa who just looked at her with the intention to punch her.

"You do not appreciate showmanship. Anyways, Nanoha-chan, sweet, Nanoha-chan." Hayate slow clapped in the air trying to create anticipation.

But Hayate was taking so long, Fate was bored and looked again into her back pack to see what else she had to eat. The only thing left was her juice box so she decided to ignore Hayate's ramblings and concentrated on opening it.

"So… our worthy candidates for today are: Yuuno Scrya! Known mage and librarian -boring unless you are into that kind of thing, also turns into a ferret, that actually can't be attractive, only if you are really weird and into that kind of thing..." Hayate even changed the tone of her voice as if someone else was presenting the candidates and commenting on their qualities.

Suzuka, Arisa and Nanoha giggled at her description of Yuuno.

"So that's so much for candidate number one. Candidate number two! Chrono Harlaown! Your BFF's big brother! Finally tall enough to look like a hot, handsome guy -again if you are also into that kind of thing. Broody and hardworking - seems to be a trait that runs into the family, whether dark haired or blonde. Maybe Harlaown's are a catch after all."

Hayate winked at Nanoha, who just giggled amused, and then chuckled turning to look towards Fate who clearly was not paying her any attention on her efforts to spice up the game.

"So... Chrono and...Candidate number three!...ahhh… uhhh...hmmm…huuuh..."

Suzuka, Arisa and Nanoha looked at each other, it seemed they didn't know that many boys that all of them actually knew, without considering teachers and repeating more options. Since they were all in different classrooms, they didn't know all the boys there either.

"And… I would choose someone else, but Nanoha wants someone her age as we already heard before, so you leave me no choice! No introduction needed, the one and only Fate Testarossa Harlaown!" Hayate exclaimed as if struck by divine inspiration.

"What!" Fate exclaimed getting back to reality, who in her surprise, had tightened so hard her juice box it had exploded directly into Arisa's face.

There was a loud shriek from Arisa that completely covered Suzuka's giggles at Hayate's show.

Fate was torn between helping Arisa clean up and telling Hayate she could not use her as an option for the game.

"All selections are final!" Hayate declared, ignoring the riot between their two blonde friends. "Nanoha, go!"

Fate protested again to only receive a slow spelling of the word final from Hayate.

Hayate thought that Nanoha would be cornered and flustered, but against all odds, Nanoha, who had been silently sitting with her legs crossed, hadn't even flinched. She seemed to ponder for just a second and smiling, answered very calmly.

"Well.. the easy one is marry. I'd marry Fate-chan of course."

Fate blushed as a tomato and nearly snapped her neck as fast as she turned to see Nanoha, since she had been still too busy trying to make Hayate's head explode with her mind.

"Nanoha! We are both girls, we cant marry!" Fate exclaimed while finishing emptying the juice box over Arisa in her flustered distraction.

"Well.. we are going to be always together anyways. So I don't mind marrying you. And kiss...hmmm... And punch...hmmm. Ok I'd punch Chrono and kiss Yuuno. There."

Suzuka giggled at the strange reasoning Nanoha had given.

Arisa was still too busy cleaning up the mess Fate had done to pay any attention to Nanoha's answers.

Hayate brooded after realizing her streak of genius had not resulted in the dramatic situation she was hoping for. She wasn't giving up.

"Ok, now the rules indicate that the person next to you receives the same candidates."

Hayate now pointed menacingly at the still blushing blonde.

"Fate-chan! It's your turn. Welcome to Kiss, Marry, Kill-Punch! Fate-chan Edition!"

Arisa, who had finally cleaned from all the juice, frowned.

"But she is one of the options, that cannot work. And you are choosing again..."

"True true, then the rules indicate that instead of herself, the option has to be the previous player that played!"

"Where is that rule?" Suzuka asked softly.

"Everyone knows those are the rules."

"But we were just explaining to you the rules of the game!" Arisa argued.

"It seems you are pulling the rules out of your aaaa…" Hayate turned to Fate and dared her just with a look to finish the word.

Fate snorted annoyed.

"All the rules are final" Hayate exclaimed as Fate didn't finish her phrase. "Fate-chan! Who will you kiss, marry or kill...I mean... punch! Yuuno, Chrono…"

"Ewww. Chrono is my brother you idi…"

Another glare from Hayate had Fate not finishing her swear words.

"Chrono, and sweet, innocent Nanoha-chan of course."

"This is stupid, I am not playing your rigged game."

"Your options don't make sense Hayate chan!" Suzuka had to side with Fate on this.

"All rules are final!"

Fate had avoided making eye contact with Nanoha since her best friend had made very clear she didn't mind marrying her. But now Fate couldn't avoid shyly turning to see her knowing that despite what she had said to Hayate, she actually wanted to answer the same even if it was just for a stupid game.

And yet she knew, she just couldn't go ahead and say it, especially as calmly as Nanoha could.

Fate found Nanoha's blazing blue-violet gaze smiling with hers for a brief moment. She wasn't aware she had been smiling until that moment.

"Fine. I'd kiss Chrono and punch Yuuno for having kissed MY future wife!" Fate exclaimed with probably more enthusiasm than the game required.

"Whoah, Fate-chan!"

What was actually an exclamation from Nanoha realizing that meant Fate was also choosing her to marry was interpreted by Fate as a surprised exclamation for kissing Chrono AND punching Yuuno and she felt the need to justify herself.

"Well you decided to marry me. Now I have to go and defend your honor. You cannot go around kissing anyone but me."

"But you can kiss Chrono?"

"They never specified what type of kiss. I can kiss him on the cheek because he is my brother and it counts."

"Well, then I kiss Yuuno on the cheek."

"Ahh, so it wasn't on the cheek when it was your turn? If you kiss him on any way I punch him."

"Mou, Fate-chan!"

"Unless you are changing your answers, I am punching him."

"It's just a kiss on the cheek Fate-chan!"

"Hayate what did you do?" Arisa smacked Hayate's forehead.

"It was you and Suzuka who brought the game. I am innocent of all charges."

"It's not our fault we don't know more boys for the game," Suzuka confessed.

"Who'd know Fate would be the explosive jealous type," Hayate cracked into laughter. "So I guess you guys don't want to play truth or dare then?" Hayate asked with a mischievous grin.

* * *

"So…. ok _sure_ it's established you are _so not_ the jealous type Fate-chan. And how long are you still waiting for? It's been twelve years!"

"Huh?"

"Are you marrying Nanoha-chan anytime soon? Make an honest woman of her? Stop living in sin? Put a ring on that finger?"

Should I go on bullying the poor blonde? I can't think of anymore ridiculous cliches to torture her. _Oh._

"I mean you two have a daughter out of wedlock?" I add with a fake gasp.

Was that too much?

"You are thinking of popping the question, right?"

Fate turns to watch Nanoha eyes wide open, her jaw halfway to the floor and looking for some compassion from her lover. Nanoha is too good to her. They always save each other. She takes her hands in hers.

"Hayate-chan is just bullying you. Just like she was back then, Fate-chan. Also..." she turns to me. "When the time comes, **I** am proposing to Fate-chan. It's not like she doesn't know she's taken already, anyways."

Think of the cutest thing you have ever seen. Like a cute dorky panda fumbling around with his bamboo and rolling down his tree. And add puppies. And kittens. Take that times a thousand. Add gallons of icecream and whipped cream and that's how sweet they look at each other right now.

"Mine."

With that single statement, Nanoha turned to imprison Fate in a hug that probably has the poor blonde out of breath now. Actually I don't know if it's a hug or a wrestling hold. From this angle it doesn't seem to let the crushed blonde from her chest. Is she even able to breathe there?

"Hmmm… seems I got it all the other way around. Nanoha is the overly possessive after all."

"How long did you have Yuuno on your hook Nanoha?"

That seems to finally distract her enough from crushing Fate to death.

"Whaaaa- I never did that?"

"Oh come on, you led him on for a long time."

"Yuuno-kun has always been my dear friend and nothing else."

"Oh, he never tried to court you or go out on a date? Usually timed when a certain aspiring Enforcer was out on long missions?"

I do hope I didn't open Pandora's box. Ok , maybe I am regretting babbling this much right now.

"I knew." Fate mentioned, way to casually.

"Whuuut?" Now I am the flabbergasted one.

"I mean it was before we officially became girlfriends. Nanoha was free to date whoever she wanted, although I don't know if it counts as a date if only one of the two people involved thinks it was a date."

"Fate-chan does have a point. I didn't realize until much later that Yuuno-kun was trying to actually date me. I thought we were going out as friends."

And here I thought Fate was the oblivious one.

"And still you claim you were not jealous, Fate?"

"I guess I didn't have the chance. I couldn't say anything before and by the time it was over... He was a real gentleman about it after all."

"Huh?" both Nanoha and I shared the same bewildered look.

"It's been so long I don't think Yuuno will mind.. ."

* * *

"Fate? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi Yuuno. I was looking for Arf. I wasn't able to reach her, so I just thought I would drop by."

Fate tried too hard to keep a light voice, Yuuno mused. Her puffy eyes were very revealing too.

"Is everything alright Fate?"

"Sure, why wouldn't it?"

"Don't know..maybe because it seems you have been crying. A lot."

Fate sighed heavily. She didn't want to think about that again or the tears would start accumulating in her eyes.

"Is Nanoha ok?"

"Unless you have heard reports that might suggest she Starlight Breaker'ed half of Uminari, I think so."

Oh, now it makes sense why she looks like that, Yuuno mused.

"So you too had a fight? Why don't you let me get you a cup of tea, coffee or something. Arf had some things to do and won't be back for a few hours. I know I'm not her, but we can talk if it will make you feel better."

Fate hesitated for a second. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk with Yuuno about her problems with Nanoha... but she needed to talk to someone that knew Nanoha well.

"Wouldn't it be weird? I mean you...Nanoha..." Fate gave him a contrite look.

Yuuno felt it was about time to get certain things cleared up.

"No it won't be weird. I promise. I don't feel that way about Nanoha anymore."

"So... you actually were… what... in love with her at some point?"

"Sure I was, for a long time. Why do you think I accepted the position in the Infinite Library? I needed to be away from her. It would have made no good for either of us to be in Uminari. I knew she would never look at me the way I wanted her to look at me. The way she looks at you. How could she anyways? Compared to you there was nothing I could offer her..."

"No... Yuuno it's not like that...It's me who doesn't think I can offer her anything..."

"Nu, uh. Fate. The thing is I understood you were the right one for her. Even if I wondered whether she was the right one for me, I wasn't the one for her. So that probably meant she was not the right one for me. The fact that I also liked you didn't help."

Yuuno stopped, blushing a bit by the implications of what he had just not properly phrased and Fate's sudden flinch.

"I mean, I couldn't dislike you, you were, are, my friend as well. It was not your fault you made Nanoha fall in love with you."

Even Fate allowed herself to smile a bit.

"I did?"

"Of course, and you both are so hard-headed neither would notice. There was no point in me meddling in your relationship. I couldn't put her in that position, where our friendship would get ruined. At the end she would still have chosen you and I would have lost her friendship and yours."

"My little ferret boy, weren't you unnaturally mature for your own good?" Fate held his hands tenderly. "And it helped, didn't it. Putting some distance between you two."

"It did. But what worked for me doesn't apply to you Fate. Don't let distance grow between you two."

"She doesn't want to see me."

"Even if she is angry, she will always want to see you."

"I know... it's just…"

"Don't you want to see her?"

Fate nodded.

"One has to take the first step, and you've ner stricken me as the one to take the coward's exit."

* * *

"What was I angry about?"

"I don't remember either. Silly fights we had at first, I guess...before actually knowing and clearing what we felt for each other."

"Wow Nanoha-chan, Fate definitely is not the jealous type. I can attest to that now. I do wonder whether you'd have reacted the same if someone had been courting Fate while you were undecided on your feelings...and…"

There's a weird violet glow in my friend's blue eyes.

"Hayate-chan. Have you heard of my Starlight Breaker?"

Nanoha's voice is extremely low and controlled.

Does the room feel suddenly colder?

"Sure, who hasn't?"

"Exactly. Mine."

Point taken.

Poor Fate is again trapped in that wrestling move. That can't be a hug. This time, I am not even going to see them out. I will be the one to leave, for my own sake.

" _Mi_ office _es su_ office. _Sayonara_." I whisper and exit as swiftly as possible.

Damn, I need to get those spy cameras setup! Maybe for next week.


	7. Seventh Session

It's been a busy week but it's finally Friday again and I am ready to start the session with Nanoha and Fate, as soon as they arrive. I think they will enjoy today's session as I am trying something different, more interactive for today.

I think we will get some cute stories and they will both have fun. Well, probably Nanoha more than Fate, but we will see. Sometimes Fate manages to surprise me.

"I have a special session prepared for you today," I tell my two dear friends as soon as they come in to my office and sit down, while Fate seems to start to turn pale at my words.

Really, what does this girl believe I will do to them? _Tsk tsk_.

"Surprise us, Hayate-chan!" Nanoha answers me with her characteristical energy.

"Or not..." Fate replies under her breath.

"Why can't you be more lika Nanoha-chan, Fate? You have so little faith in me, you make it sound like it's a test you haven't studied for Fate-chan, or that I will make you try exotic bed positions you have never heard about for... research purposes. Which you would have to thank me for."

"Doubt we need _that_ , Hayate-chan." Nanoha mutters and Fate blushes of course. It's nice to have her recover some of her color, she looks sometimes so unnaturally pale.

"Hah, kinky you two. But no, don't distract me, Nanoha-chan, this is a PG-13 environment so hold your horses."

I hand them two large drawing pads and a marker to each.

"We are going to draw?" Fate asks intrigued.

"I will ask you questions to see how well you know each other or at least it will let us see what you see of the other and you will write your answers and then share. Sounds good?"

"Fine…" Fate agrees and Nanoha nods.

"Ok, so let's set up the environment."

I get up from behind my desk and walk towards them. I need them to stand back to back, not facing each other when they write their answers and I sit on the edge in the middle of my desk. They comply and I see Nanoha giggling and Fate looking sideways and the at the ceiling, probably wondering what to do or wondering again how she got dragged into this.

"Ok, let's start with an easy one. What is each other's favorite color? Write your answer and after you are both done, turn to each other."

They write their answers and do as I request so I ask Nanoha to say her answer first, and then for Fate to show her answer. Fate has written "white" just as Nanoha had said, and the copper-haired smiled.

"That was easy," Nanoha points out.

The same happens with Fate, who answers "black", which is the same answer Nanoha had quickly written.

"It's funny because you rearely wear black in your every day clothes. Also you seem to have systematically eliminated the black from your Barrier Jacket, Fate-chan. Nanoha has been more consistent on her standard white. Is there a reason for it, even if it's your favorite color?"

"As a proud Navy Enforcer, I wanted to show that in my barrier jacket. There was not much room for black in the navy style, heh."

"You could have kept your black cape."

"I don't know, maybe Nanoha has rubbed off on me. I like having her white on my cape," Fate shrugged nonchalantly.

"Fate-chan may not say those things out loud, but she shows them. I like that about her, " Nanoha blows a kiss which is welcomed by a beaming Fate.

"And here I was thinking it was because you are a paladin of justice and white also being a prominent color in the Navy, but I like your answer better Fate-chan. Definitely earns you points with your woman. I like your style. Okay, next! This one is only for you Nanoha-chan: what is Fate's favorite dessert?"

Fate laughs and starts writing on her pad, then tapping her lips with her fingers for a moment, turns around the page and scribbles again. I know she has a sweet tooth, but it seems she's writing a treatise on desserts. Nanoha seems to ponder for a while and finally scribbles something. Then takes a moment to think again, turns around her pad and writes some more.

What are these two up to? It's just dessert. A simple question about dessert. The finish and turn to each other in what seems a playful duel of looks.

"Let's see your answer Fate-chan."

Fate smiles mischievously at Nanoha and displays her answer in the pad with hurried writing: "Nanoha's special chocolate cake."

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha gives her an offended smile and mimics a heart breaking and shows us her drawing pad where she had written "my kisses".

"Oh hoho, Fate-chan, and I was just praising on the points you were scoring with Nanoha… seems someone struck out and will be sleeping on the couch today!" I tease my blonde friend.

I hadn't counted on the treatise Fate was writing though. With a wide smile the blonde turned around the pad, showing an additional part of her answer.

"As long as Nanoha is kissing me while eating it. If not, Nanoha's kisses."

"I knew it," Nanoha said smugly and then turned around her pad to show her complete answer: "My chocolate covered kisses."

"Wow, kinky and sassy you two! Okay, it seems it will be really a challenge to find a question that will throw you off balance if you get that specific on kisses and desserts! Amazing recovery Fate-chan! Let's see. Now it's a question for you, Fate. What is Nanoha's most precious, happiest childhood moment?"

"Sneaky, Hayate-chan," Fate tells me upon hearing my question. Nanoha is already scribbling her answer and Fate is now the one pondering.

After they both indicate they have their answers, I ask Fate to show her answer. Fate turns around her drawing pad for me and Nanoha to read: "when she discovered her magic."

I turn around and see Nanoha shaking her head giving Fate a " _really?"_ look.

"Really?" Fate asks back was if genuinely surprised she didn't get the answer correctly.

Nanoha turns around her drawing pad at the same time she answers to Fate.

"When you finally said my name, you dummy. I couldn't be happier. I was the happiest ever. When you said my name so many times. You know that."

"Yeah… it was for me too..."

"How many times was it Fate?"

"Several…" Fate answered, visibly embarrassed.

"Seven." Nanoha stated without hesitation.

"Seven times!? Seems like you couldn't get enough of her Fate-chan."

"I could never have too much of her," Fate said in a raspy voice.

"Wait, so that was not for marketing purposes?"

"What? What are you talking about Hayate-chan?"

"We all have seen that iconic scene in the movie project you made for TSAB, I thought that was added drama for marketing purposes."

Nanoha shakes her head amused and taking Fate's hand led her to the love seat in my tea-area so I join them and sit in front of them.

"You know the project you collaborated on for TSAB was supposed to be for training purposes, but it really looks more like the start of your love story," I continue.

"Well... I guess... it is impossible to separate one from the other." Nanoha answers me.

"So is that part accurate? Fate calling your name seven times? It was not altered or exaggerated?"

"It is completely accurate."

Fate blushes again covering her mouth with her fist closed as Nanoha smiled wickedly at the blonde who just looked away even more flustered.

"She still gets embarrassed about having our first encounter… the beginning of our story... being so openly told to everyone in an "educational" movie. Anyways, I couldn't let anyone change a bit of that. Our battles yes, the Jewel Seed encounters, yes. The way she made me feel all those days, no."

"I still don't know how you were able to be so aware of your feelings with everything happening."

"Did you ever get the tapes Vivio recorded when we were still reviewing the script, Hayate-chan?"

"You mean the commentary session you made with the Stars and Lightning teams?"

"No, before the movie was finished. I'll look for it."

Fate had kept silently watching Nanoha talk about their past on screen, glancing her with shy smiles and sometimes biting her lips as if she wanted to say something and just wouldn't.

"You want to add something, Fate?"

"I.. I have that recording Nanoha is mentioning… I mean...I think I know which one she is referring to."

Much to my surprise, Fate took out her personal comm device and after a few clicks, Vivio's voice started to sound:

V _ivio: Oh and mama...It's about mama's talk about your childhood past. How was it like when you first met Fate-mama?_

_Nanoha: How was it like?_

_Vivio: Yeah, like your first impression and stuff like that?_

_Nanoha: I guess I thought to myself "what a beautiful girl". I am sure you read it in the script but she had a completely black barrier jacket. Her skin was so white and her arms so thin they looked like they would break, but when she moved, she moved so quickly your eyes couldn't follow her at all. But most of all, her eyes were so beautiful. So beautiful they could drown you. But they looked so incredibly lonely and sad._

_Vivio: So that's why you wanted to talk to her?_

_Nanoha: Back then, I was pretty much caught in a lot of different things. I was probably lonely and pretty lost too. So I guess that's why when I saw Fate-chan, I was captivated with her._

_Vivio: You thought, "I want to be her friend"._

_Nanoha: Yeah._

Somewhere along listening to the recording, Nanoha had taken Fate's hand in between hers and kept it tight between her knees.

"And yet afterwards as we grew up and became teenagers you had more doubts and Fate was more clear," I ponder out loud.

"Well you could understand me better, Hayate-chan being born and raised on Earth like me, at least until we all met. The world we lived at the time was not entirely ready for a relationship like the one Fate and I were developing. I am not even sure I was raised to understand it. It was confusing. And I had my weak moments. I'm not proud of that, but I found my way. Nothing would keep me away from her."

"Was that the same for you Fate?"

"I think so... There were too many feelings in me so early and the rest of the world didn't seem to move at the same speed. It seemed so odd to feel everything I did for her. And still I figured myself out faster than she did, that's why we had our problems before graduating from school in Uminari."

"And you waited for me."

"I would have waited all my life for you."

Yep, they got lost into each other's eyes again. What to do...

"Hey! Look at the time! Do you want to get out of here and the three of us get a drink somewhere, I will call Signum, Vita and Shamal as well."

"Not tonight, Hayate-chan. Rain-check. I'll even pay for drinks for all of us… but… right now..."

And with whatever was left unsaid, Fate took Nanoha from the wrist and hurried out of my office.

"You go! Fate-chan I am rooting for you!" I shout at them telepathically, in case they wouldn't hear me.

From the looks of it I do hope Vivio has a good set of headphones ready.

I can't wait to ask them next week why Fate was in such a hurry to leave. _Tehehehe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for reference: the recording mentioned here is a transcription of the translation from the actual Nanoha Movie 1st sound stage side N (10).
> 
> There is also the Movie 1st commentary where Nanoha does state she was the happiest when Fate hugged her back, I took a liberty here and extend that to when Fate says her name.


	8. Eighth Session

**Eighth Session**

Today it's a nice sunny afternoon in Midchilda. I cannot complain, things have been going quite uneventful, which is something we have to thank our hard-working people for. There has not been a rather significant threat to peace all around, and that leaves my restless mind eager to continue working with my little side-project.

The reception has been quite nice. The stories of these two, outside the work they are most well-known for has gotten a number of enthusiast followers.

But Hayate-chan, wasn't the project supposed to be anonymous? Yes, I can guess the question you all have on your minds. It has indeed been anonymous but there have been some that have dotted the i's crossed the t's and connected the points figuring out who my two victims are... and given the video projects they have launched outside Midchilda, it's not my fault they are well-known in other administered and un-administered planets.

So there's that and my two friends are talking a bit longer than usual to arrive. Unless... I am hearing some footsteps…

"Welcome Fate-chan." Now that's a surprise, my blonde friend is alone. "Where is Nanoha?"

Fate is wearing her Enforcer uniform, so she probably just arrived.

"She had something with Vivio and that tournament she is now participating in. I will catch up with them later."

"Ohh, so you decided to come by yourself!"

I am glad I never made a bet, I would have never thought Fate would come here, alone, to honor their appointments. "Is she rewarding you later?"

Fate looks at me unamused. Yeah, we both know... it's too soon to tease her and she is realizing she made a mistake by coming here all by herself.

"I knew this was a mistake. I told Nanoha if you teased me one time I'd be out."

"No, wait... wait, Fate-chan! Standard practice is three strikes before anyone's out... I'll... behave!"

I look at her, pleading with my eyes and with my most charming smile. She's trying to hide her own smile from showing, I need to convince her, somehow…

"Hey! Have you tried the new soda bar that was added to the recreational area? Let's do something different this session and go and have something to drink. That way it will be like we are just catching up."

You are a genius Hayate-chan. A genius.

Yup... Fate's sweet tooth. One would never be able to tell how much this very innocent looking blonde can eat. I swear that had to be the only reason she wanted to work that summer in Midori-ya back when we were kids. Well... that... and Nanoha being there as well, too. Oh, that and Momoko-san. Yeah...

Why Momoko-san, you ask? That's a good story, but we need Nanoha-chan to tell it. She tells it better, and I am not entirely convinced she has completely forgiven Fate-chan for that...

But it will have to be another time, for now… I can't let Fate think I am not paying attention to her.

Fate's eyes shine at my suggestion and I jump out from behind my desk and we both make our way to the base's recreational area.

It is probably a little over a glorified cafeteria the one we have at the recreational area. But we cannot complain, it has had some improvements along the years. The food has improved. I don't know when Nanoha had the time to review the recipes of the menus offered, but she made some miraculous suggestions. We all know she was the mastermind behind the significant improvements.

For those reading from un-administered planet 97, also known as, yeah, Earth, our first home, you have no idea the world lost a marvelous cooking talent. Surely it's not like Nanoha could choose between being Ace of Aces or a world-class cook... Fate and Vivio are surely the winners in that sense.

And that's already saying something, you know? Yagami Hayate also knows her way in the kitchen. Just ask Shamal, Signum, and Zafira how they could eat banquets every day. And Vita more than anyone else.

Yes, I am talking about myself in the third person. Don't judge me.

We should definitely hold a cooking showdown.

But I am rambling here... while making small talk with Fate and casually greeting some of the acquaintances we find in our way. Let's get to the action we are interested in before we get there.

"I think, Fate-chan, it's only fair that I ask you exactly the same thing I asked Nanoha when you missed our session."

Fate nods and smiles.

"Okay so... Nanoha, for you... when or how did you realize... she was the one?"

Obviously, Fate was already expecting the question and yet she is unable to stop herself from slightly blushing. And she is clearly thinking about Nanoha. She has that look she has when she looks at her like truly nothing else in the world exists.

After a deep breath, she smiles inwardly and turns to answer me.

"Almost from the beginning. It's funny... All of our interactions had been confrontational, except when she came to literally save me and then the one where we finally fought together in the Garden of Time. Where I had lived all my life at the moment."

"You truly had some epic battles against each other..."

Whoever decided to set up this place was not wrong, as adults, we do enjoy ice cream, a lot.

While we reach the newly inaugurated soda-bar and ask for two refreshing ice-cream sodas, Fate briefly explains about the times they fought and her thoughts, given that she was completely focused on completing the mission her mother had for her, she did not have much time to think about Nanoha... and yet she did.

"It's not a secret, as we even allowed to show that in TSAB's cinematographic project, that my mother was a firm believer of physical punishments..."

"Yeah..." There are truly some things we would all like to forget, but in a way, I guess Fate never hides them because it's part of who she is anyway.

"There were some brief, difficult moments where the thought of her was... comforting... I could not help it... or explain it... there are things that just are..."

I just nod, as she continues.

"Then we did not see each other for a long time, while she was back with her parents and I lived on the Asura as the resolution to my case... since... I was some sort of... juvenile delinquent..."

Fate laughs and scratches her head with a guilty face.

"Yeah... I know how that goes too..." I grin mischievously and we even clink the glasses of our sodas amused.

"I started to realize I missed her dearly. And we finally met... again."

"On that famous bridge..."

A wide smile shines in her lips.

"Yeah, I was so nervous. And there she was waving and smiling and running towards me, incredibly happy to see me as if I had not been horrible to her."

Fate pauses again, probably collecting her thoughts and what she wants to say… despite how absent-minded she can sometimes be, I am sure she has no problems recalling that memory in particular.

"She's always had that bright light, even through her own sadness and loneliness," I point out.

Fate nods again and we sit down on one of the benches to continue talking.

"We spent a few minutes together. And I was happy. I felt truly happy. For the first time in... a very long time..."

Fate stares blankly for a while... who knows where her mind drifted to... maybe to the moment before that where she felt happy. As Fate said, it's no secret to anyone she had it very rough as a child... she has never shied away from it, nor has she let it down her spirit. I might tease her a lot but we all admire her very much. We all had our things growing up, but Fate...

"Then we spent even more time apart. I longed for her... Deeply. It made no sense. We had interacted as normal, civilized people only for a few minutes. When I was back on the Asura I missed her. How could I be missing someone that I had just met? But... I did... We started sending each other video notes and letters, as if we had been life-long friends who suddenly found themselves being apart... I'd have these weird dreams at night, about my mother and Alicia, but I'd also dream about her... A lot. "

"And Lindy made the arrangements for you both to come to Earth."

"She did. Being a mother now to Vivio I start to realize she must have seen things I did not understand at the time. She wanted me to have a normal life. Go to school. Have friends. Interact with people my age..."

"And be with Nanoha."

"And be with Nanoha indeed. I don't know if that was just a happy coincidence or if my mother did it on purpose..."

I have to arch a brow. "Surely Lindy knew... as you say, now you and Nanoha being parents to Vivio..."

"Yeah.. I guess mom knew as well," Fate blushes again.

"So about the first time you met again? What the last TSAB material shows is different from what really happened, unlike your goodbye."

Fate smiles again. "Well, Vita is a well-known professional now... No need to ruin her reputation..."

I have to laugh. I had no idea at the time what my loyal family was doing for me and Vita's first encounter with Nanoha was indeed chaotic.

"It's a shame we had to protect Vita's reputation. We don't get to see the amazing prince charming Fate-chan rescuing her love though."

"Ha. Cute. Subaru and Teana should have not started that nickname..." Fate blushes amused. "You are all impossible. I am female, I can't be a prince."

"Oh but you are, Fate-chan. You most certainly are Nanoha's prince."

"You too Hayate? That's strike two for you, then."

Fate might be faking the serious tone because her eyes are certainly smiling. I am sure they have their own private little joke about that. I do guess the second strike is true though.

"Okay, fine. Back to the documentary then and your re-encounter again. Nanoha and you, finally meeting again and protecting Vita's reputation."

"The documentary material is not wrong anyway. At least that's exactly what Nanoha told me when we were finally on our own after we got our asses kicked and she recovered. It may not have been exactly like it's shown, you know, outside the new apartment I was going to live in... but the words are the same."

Fate pauses for a second and it seems she still has some things to say. I change my position on the bench and turn to her, waiting for her to be ready to continue.

"I knew... I knew I was home. She said welcome home. But not only that, she received me... as if I was returning home as well…"

"...And she was right. I had lived in the Garden of Time, I had lived on the Asura. I had been in her arms for two minutes when we said goodbye. And the moment we were there again, in each other's arms. I was home. And she did not mean Uminari."

"That moment I realized that I felt at home with Nanoha and I knew she was... the one. Of course, I was not aware of that concept at the time. But I could feel it."

"And I was home... because I was with her. I guess since she made sure to change her bedroom to the scenery outside the new Harlaown apartment… but she kept the words exactly as they happened… I think she also meant it the way I felt it."

"Ohhh, so she said that to you in her bedroom? Nanoha-chan is so bold…"

I am sorry. I am sorry I can't stop saying those kinds of things in time. It sometimes seems a natural condition to tease Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan. And probably Fate-chan more.

"And that's why she probably had that part of the story changed... otherwise you and probably not just you would think something different. We were kids!" Fate exclaims.

"Right, right… but not that it was not bound to happen eventually right?" I lift my eyebrows suggestively at Fate who tries to hide her embarrassment by drinking from her soda.

I keep quiet and just look at her hoping she will answer. Fate looks at me knowing I am stepping on dangerous grounds but I just need to know. She wants to say it, she is thinking about their first time for sure.

"We finally were able to live together when you so very casually assigned us a ridiculously large dorm-room to share Hayate-chan."

"Ohhh was that too obvious?"

"Only a little?"

"It was either that or having you two sneaking around to each other's rooms."

Yes, one of the things I had absolute clarity about was that the least these two could get distracted the better it would be. For everyone. They would never ask to be bunked together. Even if they wanted to. If that need was covered, they would have a clearer focused mind, they would be better rested every day… and that would only get better results for everyone.

Fate seems to ponder for a while and chuckles lightly.

"True..." She can't help but blush. "I was under the impression we were going to have separate rooms, not that I am complaining of course."

"Please don't tell me your first time was there… you surely could not have taken that long..."

"Aha! Finally, I win! I have a long-standing bet with Nanoha that you had no idea about. And it shall remain like that!"

For all the times I get to tease Fate-chan, she knows how to get back at me. There is no way she will tell me now about their first time together. Time to change strategy and course.

My flawless plan to bunk them together… they never even complained once about having to share a bed… Now, of course, I would have never expected for those two to somehow turn into three… and yet they did...

"Did it come to you as a surprise when Nanoha wanted to adopt Vivio?"

"Not really. If you ask me, I think Vivio adopted her even before she realized."

"Did she talk to you about it?"

"She did not have to ask anything before any more than I had to ask her if it was okay for Vivio to call me Fate-mama too. We both knew. If it was important for Nanoha it was important for me. And they both are the most important things in my life."

"Has it been difficult? Raising a daughter? Different from being a ward to Erio and Caro?"

"Different. Not difficult. Even though I have been a ward for Erio and Caro I have not really lived with them. Not in the way I live with Nanoha and Vivio, in the day-to-day way, even if I do spend a significant amount of time away…"

There's a slight shadow in Fate's eyes as she says that.

"But even with that, Nanoha always manages to make our home work, you know? And maybe it's because I spend so much time away that I worry so much about Vivio. Getting hurt and all with her Strike Arts and this tournament..."

"She's good... "

"She is. And even though I worry, I could not prevent her from doing it, not any more than Nanoha's parents let her use her magic to help TSAB even at a younger age. Nanoha keeps me focused."

"I always strived for Erio and Caro to find their own way and I was happy when they decided to join and become StrikerS. With Vivio, Nanoha is much more pragmatic than I am. I worry too much."

"You just want to keep her safe."

"I guess... She's gone through so much in her life at such a young age... I just want her to enjoy and be happy and be safe..."

"Did you?"

Fate blinks and looks at me puzzled.

"Did you ever just want to enjoy and be happy and be safe?"

Fate frowns slightly with a look that makes me realize she is racing through her thoughts and amused by what she's finding.

"I see your point, Hayate-chan. She's so much like Nanoha."

"And she's also very much like you in other things."

She blushes again and I wonder what's on her mind. Seems there are some things she will still keep from herself.

Fate looks at the time.

I nod knowing she wants to leave early.

"Before you leave Fate-chan. You could have skipped the session altogether... Why didn't you?"

"There are a lot of ways to face the things you fear."

"Do you fear our sessions Enforcer?"

"Not so much anymore," Fate winks at me before standing up to leave.

"Is it possible Fate Testarossa-Harlaown that you are actually enjoying our sessions?"

"Maybe...just maybe... I will be generously rewarded. See you next wee... no wait, see you on Sunday, Hayate-chan. Nanoha told me to remind you we are bringing the cake. Oh, and something about a surprise recipe."

I look at my blonde friend leaving, walking with her own dashing style unaware of how she makes many heads always turn to see her as she passes by. It's not that she is being rude or pretentious… She is just so absorbed with meeting her family that she really does not pay any attention to anything else. I suppose that balances out when she is out on duty and has to keep a clear focused mind on her job.

We are very lucky with our family... and our considerably large family is meeting on the weekend. What's the occasion you ask? Nothing really, just the joy of spending well-deserved time, all of us together. And for Nanoha-chan and me to cook a lot of yummy food. A LOT. Which means I need to run and meet Shamal for all the shopping we need to do.

Toodles!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not forgotten about my stories! I do have found out I enjoy translating a lot, but I still have the full intention of writing my stories as well. Hope you enjoyed it!


	9. Ninth Session

**Ninth Session**

I do not know if this little project gets me going all week, hoping it will be Friday evening and my two friends will come and we’ll have a fun time together or for whatever reason it may be, it’s Friday again and these two lovely dorks should be getting here any moment now.

A soft double knock on my door and Nanoha’s unmistakable voice saying my name announced their arrival.

“Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan! You are right on time,” I smile greeting them.

Nanoha is wearing her instructor uniform but it is unusual to see Fate in civilian attire. Dark blue jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a mauve blazer she promptly hangs in the standing coat rack.

“Day off?” 

“Finally a long weekend, since yesterday actually,” Fate replies with a wide smile and evident sigh of relief.

I wonder if it had something to do with all we talked about last week.

“I have to ask then, what does Enforcer Fate T. Harlaown do on a long weekend these days?” I ask Fate, but keep an eye on Nanoha. Indeed, right there is that faint smile.

“Spend it with Nanoha and Vivio, of course. As much as I can. I got to take her to school and back home today before picking up Nanoha. It’s nice.”

Nanoha has already taken her usual seat but half turns with an arched brow on her face to reply to Fate who is just sitting down.

“That’s because you are you. Vivio only lets me walk her half the way to school, and then she comes back by herself. But you take her in that shiny, loud car of yours,” Nanoha finished her remark sticking out her tongue to Fate.

I’ve seen these two as we all grew up. Even before they consolidated their relationship as a romantic one, they have always been partners. Never have I seen them bring out their competitive nature against each other like this… but it seems when it comes to their daughter, they have their own kind of good-spirited competition.

“Are you saying she wouldn't let me take her if it's not in my car? You are so wrong,” Fate replied with an offended expression.

Nanoha fakes an offended face before the smile on her lips betrays her. 

“I’m sorry, Fate-chan, I’m just teasing you, of course, it’s just that she is growing up so fast and that little things change. I kind of envy she still lets you take her.”

“She only does that because I barely get to do it… I envy you get to do it even halfway every day.”

I am not going to blame Vivio. Nanoha turned out to be some sort of helicopter mother that we have been able to tone down a bit. But she has been a handful. And Fate-chan, she used to worry so much about Nanoha, the poor blonde now worries about Nanoha and Vivio. She also required some help there. But since she spends so much time away it’s harder with her.

“So what is it like? Two successful women, raising a daughter?” I ask to neither in particular, trying to see who wants to answer first.

And they both answer at the same time.

“Challenging,” Nanoha responds in a heartbeat.

“Amazing,” Fate replied at the same time.

“Okay, pretty much in line but then tell me, who does Vivio team up with to bully the other?”

They both turn to each other and point at the other with a wide, amicably-threatening smile.

“Me, bully you, Fate-chan? How dare you!” Nanoha laughs in between her sentences.

“Hey! I was the last to know Vivio’s adult transformation when I brought Kris!”

“But that was an exception, I truly forgot! You are always sneaking with her to eat junk food, how is that not teaming up against me?”

Fate blushes guiltily. 

It seems Vivio is the one that teams up with both of them for her own convenience. Smart little girl, that one is.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, now that we’re talking about Vivio... has she ever… I don’t know… made any reference about having two mothers?”

“Oh, there was this one time,” Fate tilts her head back and rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “Nanoha should probably tell it as I was not present all through it…”

“But I already told you everything that happened, if you miss anything, I let Hayate-chan know, but you tell it,” Nanoha has a funny smile while answering Fate.

I lean back in my chair comfortably. It’s storytime and I am not going to lie. There’s a nice flavor to it when Fate tells the story. It surely has to do with her permanent reluctance with our sessions, that I consider small victories. So I am all ears, while Nanoha gets up to prepare some coffee and tea.

* * *

A regular week-day late afternoon in the Takamachi household usually has Vivio working on her homework and Nanoha, either working planning the activities for her current training squad or preparing dinner.

As the bi-colored eyed girl closed her notebook and promptly picked up her pencils, she turned to watch her mother paying attention to some details on her screen.

“Nanoha-mama, can I ask you a question?” 

“Sure, Vivio. What is on your mind?” Nanoha replied while closing down the screen and getting up from her place in the single recliner and walking up to sit next to Vivio at the dining table.

“Well… I don’t want you to get mad…”

Nanoha could not help but think, “ _Great now I know how my parents felt when I started a phrase like this. Why do I always get these situations when Fate-chan is not here?”_

It was at moments like that where Nanoha still felt clueless about raising a daughter, but trying to keep her cool facade from revealing her true feelings, she answered Vivio as cool as possible.

“Whatever is on your mind, Vivio, I’m sure we can talk about it.”

“Well… why does everybody else at school have a mama and a papa, but I have two mamas?” Vivio asked, looking away from Nanoha’s gaze.

Nanoha could tell that Vivio had spent a considerable time thinking about the question because she said it very quickly and without any hesitation. As if she had rehearsed it in her mind many times before finally finding its way out.

“You are special, honey,” Nanoha petted her daughter’s blonde hair, sighing somewhat relieved. She was truly expecting something more complicated by how Vivio had originally talked to her.

“Mama! I’m serious. I know you and Fate-mama adopted me... but does that mean I have another mama and another papa somewhere?”

“Well, you see, Vivio... You are special. How can I say it, you were born a bit different from the rest of us?”

“How am I different?” Vivio frowned.

“You are not different, you were born different, but that doesn’t change who you are.” 

“But I am different. People will know I’m different.” 

“No, they won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Do you see anything different with Fate-mama?”

“No!”

“There you go. She was born very much like you were. That doesn’t stop either of us from loving her. And it definitely doesn’t stop her from loving us, and that’s what matters the most.”

“So I’m like Fate-mama?”

“Yes, Vivio,” Nanoha sighed relieved that things were getting back to normal.

“Yay! But mama...?” Vivio pouts as if thinking very hard about something.

Nanoha looks at her patiently and smiles warmly at her.

“What is it, Vivio?”

“Why did you choose to be with Fate-mama and not with a papa like the other moms?”

Taking a moment to think about it, Nanoha smiled at Vivio trying to find the best way to explain something she truly had never needed to express out loud.

“Well Vivio, one day when you are a little older you will find out there are certain things you don’t get to choose. You just find the right person for you and if you are lucky, the other person finds in you the right person for them. In my case, Fate-mama turned out to be my special person.”

“And are you Fate-mama’s special person?” Vivio asked with her eyes shining amused.

“Well, you’ll have to ask that to Fate-mama when she comes home.”

“Ask me what?” Fate’s voice appeared from behind them. She reached down to kiss Vivio’s head and then, locking eyes and receiving Nanoha’s palms pressed on her cheeks, gives a quick kiss to Nanoha on the lips.

Fate has finally reached the moment where she does not blush _that much_ when kissing Nanoha like that in front of Vivio.

“Fate-mama, is Nanoha mama your special person?” 

Fate turned to look at Nanoha while undoing the tie from her uniform and shot Nanoha a playful questioning glance.

“Is that what you talk about behind my back?” Fate laughed and picked up Vivio and tickled her ribs. “Of course she is my special person. And you are my special little person.”

“I’m not little! I’m tall and strong!” Vivio tried to reply while Fate kept ticking Vivio for a while until they both settled down and the little girl picked up her conversation with her auburn-haired mother.

“Do you think there will be someone special like you for me when I grow up, Nanoha-mama?”

Fate looked at Nanoha a little bewildered. 

_“What were you talking about before I arrived?”_ Fate asked Nanoha telepathically.

“I’m sure of it honey. Just don’t grow up so fast will you?” 

Nanoha hugged Vivio while responding to Fate in the same way the blonde had communicated with her. “ _Long story I’ll tell you about it later... when we are in bed.”_

“But I want to grow up and be like you, Fate-mama. All powerful and important! Because mama said I am like you and it’s okay you are my mama and not my papa.”

“Papa?”

“I could call you Fate-papa,” Vivio stated while placing her index finger on her lips as if she was considering other important ideas.

“Huh? Sure… Vivio… I guess…” Fate looked at Nanoha with pleading eyes. One thing was that Bardiche called her _Sir_ , but Vivio calling her _Fate-papa_ was really getting out of hand.

“Vivio, she is too gentle to say anything, don’t tease Fate-chan like that,” Nanoha said before deciding it was her Nanoha’s turn to tickle Vivio while Fate scratched her head wondering how that conversation ended with Vivio considering calling her Fate-papa. 

* * *

“Well, it seems you two have to team up so Vivio doesn’t bully you two then…”

I can help but feel a little sorry for these two. It is clear Vivio has them eating from the palm of her hand and as she grows up… well… I can definitely see them both going to Momoko-san and Lindy-san for advice. It’d be fun to get them to talk to me about that.

“I guess then the obligatory question has to be… How has Vivio affected your relationship as a couple?” 

“I ahh... Fate-chan, do you think you get less attention from me?” Nanoha asked sheepishly.

“Don’t be silly. I think she actually strengthened us as a couple… no… not that… But maybe as a family? No, that’s not that either… well, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s not like we were not solid before Vivio… but...”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, since Vivio entered our lives, Nanoha has taken better care of herself. She doesn’t push so hard or jeopardizes her health anymore. We had a lot of… differences of opinions... over that, so I’m glad Vivio tamed that part of her because I had almost given up on that.”

“Fate-chan…” Nanoha looks timidly at Fate, it’s impossible not to think about that accident s many years ago. 

“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about you so much Nanoha.”

“Ne, Fate-chan, and what do you need for you to take care of yourself? You are always risking your lives for others, even up to this day!” 

I have to say Nanoha does have a point. Fate is always on the frontline for everything and anything. But I shall remain an impartial observant on that note.

“I’m made of steel, nothing can touch me,” Fate joked.

“Is that so?” Nanoha pinched Fate’s cheek and almost immediately a tear surfaced.

Fate flapped her hands in the air, Nanoha made her point very clear. 

“Ouch, Nanoha!” 

Nanoha lets her go and smiles before getting serious again.

“I’m serious, Fate-chan. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before and you think I only changed for Vivio. She was part of it, but you were the other part. A big part too. I'm sorry I took so long, but you still haven’t changed a bit. I know you are strong and more than capable, and I would never question your abilities, but I wish I didn’t have that feeling here,” Nanoha took Fate’s hand to her stomach, “every time you accept those high-risk missions.”

“I’m getting there, Nanoha, really… and you know I always take care of myself,” Fate takes Nanoha’s hand. “Anything and everything for my two special girls. I’ll always come back home to you.”

There is a special sweet way in how Fate refers to Nanoha and Vivio as her girls, her family. It must be something about the little story she told, but it is indeed curious how Nanoha ended up forming a family with the two blondes with peculiar birthing. Not that it’s relevant, but I am glad they are the ones raising Vivio for sure.

“Nanoha-chan, you do seem to have a special thing for blondes.” I know, I could have been more serious about the topic instead of blurting such a thing out loud, sometimes it just happens.

Nanoha slightly chortles and looks starry-eyed at Fate.

“It seems I do. My two girls. My two blondes. My daughter and my wife.”

It may have been a figure of speech like we always tease them... but Fate is suddenly blushing so hard I can even feel the heat here. 

And it’s not like Nanoha shooting her hands to cover her mouth doesn’t make her any less guilty. At all.

Everyone freeze now.

Cut.

Stop the action.

Hold the press.

“Your wha---what?” Yeah, that’s how eloquent I can be.

“Oops!”

“Nanoha! I told you it would eventually slip with Hayate-chan!”

No, uh. These two are messing with me. They are right? I can't tell, they are giggling and Fate is so red. And they are looking at each other because they are.“

“No. You’re messing up with me. This is payback, you two are conspiring against me for every time I’ve teased Fate-chan. You want me to go all ‘whaaaat’ and then you’re going to make a fool of me.”

I stare at them and they look so, so guilty.

“...”

“...”

“No, no! No telepathic conversations between you two with me in front of you! That’s plain rude!” I snap and jump out of my chair.

“Well… Hayate-chan… Truth is…” Nanoha says without being able to repress a gigantic smile on her lips every half a second.

They both again look at each other and giggle… What is going on here?

“Do you think it’s fine to tell her, Fate-chan?” Nanoha looks at Fate.

“Tell me what?”

“I don’t know, Nanoha, I mean, we all knew this would happen eventually but…” 

“Tell me what?” Neither of these two is paying attention to me. “Tell me what?”

No, they’re holding hands now. Nanoha does that every single time she was to somehow reassure Fate of everything when we are here and I’m digging in their love life.

“Tell me what?”

Fate takes a deep breath and looks at me.

“Well… remember that a few years ago… how many was it, Nanoha?”

“Almost three.” 

“Yeah, something like that…”

“Two years and eleven months.”

I am looking at these two as if this was some tennis match, my eyes go from one to the other as they get into their details. “Yes, yes Nanoha-chan we know you keep track of the dates better than Fate-chan, no need to flaunt it.” What in the name of the all-mighty tanuki’s butt happened almost three years ago? I need them to not get distracted!

“Right… well we need to go a little before that… remember that when I shortened my name you started teasing us…?”

“Yeah…” I do remember. I teased Fate telling her that if she married Nanoha-chan then she could be Takamachi Harlaown and her name Fate T. Harlaown would work just the same.

“Well, it started to become our little inside joke...”

Nanoha then explains to me how their little inside joke worked. Fate being her wife. Every time there would be a reference of Fate’s shortened name, Nanoha would turn to Fate and mind to mind saying things like ‘Yeah T as in _cough, cough_ Takamachi Harlaown’ or ‘my wife’ or ‘mine’.

“Ohhh but you never… No… you can’t be… Wait, are you telling me what I think you are telling me? But I never saw any indication in Riot Force 6. And that little joke was way before that.”

Nanoha ignores my questions and continues explaining how it was until after Vivio came into their lives and they both wanted to adopt her, Fate suggested they actually get married on paper to get all of Vivio’s papers in order.

“So when we told you a few weeks ago that I was the one that would propose to Fate-chan it’s because she already did and we already got married, kind of in a rush and for a very practical purpose… with everything going on in our lives at the time it was difficult to consider anything else, especially considering Fate-chan was getting very long missions…” Fate gives Nanoha an apologetic look while Nanoha continues. “ ...because we really did not need anything else, and well, time has just flown by… but it’s something we want to do… in a couple of years...”

Years? What… they… already… 

“And it’d be a nice way to renew our vows… yes in a couple of years.”

“No! Hell no! It’s for me to be your bride of honor! I have dreamed all my life for that moment…” 

Okay. that's a little exaggerated but I need to add drama to my drama because these two have kept this from me for two years and eleven months! 

“...and to officiate! Did you know I had already got the permit to ordain?”

“Hayate-chan, if you want to ordain you can’t be the maid of honor as well.” Nanoha interrupts my moment.

“Damn right I can! I will officiate and be the maid of honor, the best man, the flower girl, the wedding planner, the wedding crasher…”

“We broke her, told you, Nanoha…”

“...and will plan your bachelorette party Nanoha, and your bachelor party, Fate-chan!”

“Huh?” Fate blinks and frowns at me. “What do you mean bachelor? Why can’t I get a bachelorette party as well?”

“You want a party, Fate-chan?” 

“Well.. no… but if I have one, it shouldn't be a bachelor party?”

“Aren’t you the one wearing the pants in this relationship Fate-chan?” Nanoha arches a brow, tongue in cheek at me. “Nevermind, don’t even answer that.”

Fate-chan must be regretting telling that papa-story. Or that we tease her as Nanoha’s prince. It’s all her fault in any case.

“Actually why can’t we get one for both?”

“No, no, bachelorette party for Nanoha. Bachelor party for you and maybe if I decide to forgive your massive offense I can consider a dual bachelorette party for you two…”

“Nanoha… I told you, we should have told her from the beginning…”

“And miss this meltdown?” 

It’s true, Nanoha looks quite pleased with herself and her mischievousness

“Okay, I need Shamal for this. Suzuka as well… Oh and your sister Miyuki… oh and both of your mothers…”

“Na...no...ha?” Fate’s face has quickly changed from total amusement perpetually terrified.

“We knew this time would come, ne Fate-chan?”

“Rein!!”

My always diligent Rein Zwei appears in front of me and greets Nanoha and Fate. Too much chit-chat. This is a critical situation and I need all my weapons. No distractions.

“Take note Rein, we need to find two dates, Friday or Saturday. Book them, the first for Nanoha’s bachelorette party… the second for Fate’s bachelor party.”

“Hayate-chan… we said it’d be in a couple of years…”

“Hey!!! Ta ta… you’re messing with my inspiration. These are your belated parties!”

“Okay let’s see, for Nanoha’s bachelorette party, it’d have to be Nanoha of course, me, you Rein…”

“Me….” 

Fate, bless her soul, hasn’t understood a thing.

“No, Fate-chan, you of course not.” I have to set her straight.

“Shamal, Vita, Suzuka, Arisa, and Miyuki. We’ll have to set the transport for them to come from Uminari and to stay the night, Rein. Who else, let’s see. Oh of course Amy, Shari, Subaru, Caro, Arf, and Lutecia. Vivio, we can’t invite her, she’s too young to be in a bachelorette party and Fate-chan will take care of her.”

Nanoha laughs and Fate complains and pouts. I ignore them. Rein is paying attention to me and that’s all I need right now.

“Now for Fate’s. Probably less crowded, and I’ll have to think of a good place for them. For Nanoha’s, I already have the perfect spot. So yeah, Chrono, obviously, Signum, Agito, Zafira, Vice, Teana…”

“Yuuno-kun?” Nanoha asks.

“Yuuno?” Oh, somehow he had slipped my mind. “Nah, that party is not something for Yuuno, we’ll bring him to the girl’s party. Yuuno’s more like an honorary girl…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing, don’t distract me. Where were we, Rein?”

“The guests for Fate-san’s... _bachelor_ party?” Rein glances at Fate apologetically and accompanies the look with a gesture with her hands and a shrug.

Fate sighs and shakes her head.

“Oh.. yeah obviously Erio too, and also add me to that party. We also need to set the transport for Nanaoh’s brother.

“Hayate-chan… you are nuts… and the sexist role you’re assigning to me is not funny anymore. It never has.”

“I think it’s very funny.”

“Fate-chan, you always make it so easy for Hayate-chan to tease you. And you are the prettiest, most handsome, and dashing bachelor ever. But she’s obviously doing it like that because that way she’s having two parties. She made it obvious when she included herself in yours too. .”

“My dear White Devil, would you believe me capable of something like that?”

“Of that and more, Hayate-chan.”

I smirk. Maybe my intentions cannot be truly hidden.

“Mark my words... It’s going to be out of this world! Not that you deserve it for keeping that from me for so long… keep taking note Rein. We will need to set the theme, buy the props… actually I don't need either of you for this. I will notify you of the details... off you go… see you next week you sneaky little...”

Nanoha understands the cue and quickly stands up, pulling a very confused Fate out of her seat.

Yeah, they’re my friends. I can’t call them names. I can’t be mad at them of course, but it's fun teasing them. And planning parties. Nanoha drapes herself over Fate’s arm as they leave. Those two will never stop surprising me… oh, but I will surprise them


End file.
